Father Arrested Amid Investigation Into Child’s Tragic Death

The father of the 4-year-old boy who was found dead in Walker County last week is being held at the Blount County jail on unspecified charges. However, during the search for Johnathan Boley last week, authorities found illegal explosives and drugs leading to Jameson Boley's arrest.

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According to jail records, the boy's 40-year-old father was booked into the jail Friday at 3:15 p.m. A Walker County Circuit Court document showed Johnathan Boley had been charged with two counts of chemically endangering a child, by allowing John and his brother to have the opportunity to be exposed to, ingest, inhale or have contact with a controlled substance — namely methamphetamine on Dec. 31, at 7333 Highway 195. A note attached to the booking documents requested a "hold for another agency", which is the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.

“We wanted him to be out of Walker County once Johnathan was found and once he was notified. We allowed family to go to Blount County and make notification in person," Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith told media.

Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith announced Friday afternoon that Boley's son, 4-year-old Johnathan "Jon Jon" Everett Boley, who went missing on New Year's Eve, had been found deceased. The boy's body was reportedly found partially in a body of water. The family Lab "Buck" was alive and dutifully waiting next to the deceased child.

Authorities, to this point, believe the child's death was not a result of foul play. Johnathan's brother Issac had told searchers that he had last seen his brother and the dog wandering toward the woods at the edge of their father's property.

The boy's parents are separated, and the children were up from Florida where their mother Angel lives to visit their father over the holidays.