Police believe boy's slaying at Cherokee Park an isolated incident
Louisville Metro Police said a 12-year-old boy found dead in Cherokee Park on Tuesday afternoon was killed.
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Police are now asking for the public’s help to find his killer, but think it was an isolated attack. Police said those who frequent the park should not be afraid.
A passerby discovered Ray Etheridge on a footpath by Hogan’s Fountain.
On Wednesday, police shut down part of the park’s Scenic Loop around 12:30 p.m. for several hours for a grid search.
Etheridge was a seventh grader at Clark County Middle High School, an alternative school.
"Kids liked him. He was fun to be around and just had a good personality about him," said Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Andrew Melin. "Ray was well regarded at (Clark County Middle High), so as you can imagine, the staff and students there are taking this pretty hard."
Police won’t release how he died except to say there was trauma.
"From the evidence we can see, we think the injuries occurred at that location," said LMPD Homicide Unit Lt. Todd Kessinger.
Etheridge and his family were homeless and often lived in their car or motels.
Police said his mother reported him missing around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
She and his stepfather are cooperating and not considered suspects, according to police.
The school district said Etheridge was in class Tuesday.
"He was signed out from Clark County Middle High by his mother at about 1 o'clock," Melin said.
The superintendent said his mother picked him up early because of transportation issues, something that happened often.
"Ray was the kind of student that has a lot of ability and certainly would’ve wanted to see him be as successful in his life, so (this is) a very, very difficult time," Melin said.
Etheridge entered the Greater Clark County School District from New Albany Floyd County schools in 2012 as a fifth grader.
Counseling services will be offered at Clark County Middle High School.
A letter was sent home with students about what happened.
Police said Etheridge and his family were often in the Mid-City Mall and Cherokee Park areas.
As they try to piece together his final moments, they’re asking anyone who remembers seeing him, to contact them at 574-LMPD.
Etheridge was described as white, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 115 pounds with tan skin, blondish-brown hair and a small scar under his left eye.
He was wearing red and black Nike Jordan shoes and a gray fleece pullover.
A memorial fund has been set up for Etheridge at PNC Bank under the account title Ray Allen Etheridge Memorial Fund.