Noah McIntosh: Father charged with murder, torture of missing 8-year-old Corona boy

CORONA, Calif. (FOX 11) - The father of a missing 8-year-old Corona boy was charged on Thursday with the murder and torture of his son, Noah McIntosh.

Noah was last seen roughly one month ago in the 4600 block of Temescal Canyon Road, according to police.

Noah's parents, Bryce McIntosh, 32, and Jillian Godfrey, 36, were arrested on March 14 on suspicion of child abuse, authorities said. They were later charged by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office with willful child cruelty.

Authorities announced Thursday that based on the findings of the investigation, the missing person case was escalated to a homicide investigation. The district attorney's office charged McIntosh on Thursday with first-degree murder and a special circumstance murder of torture. If convicted on all charges, McIntosh would be eligible for the death penalty.

The circumstances of the case led investigators to several locations throughout the county, including Temescal Valley, Aguanga and Murrieta. Authorities said Thursday that the subsequent search of those sites delivered evidence at each location.

"At the locations mentioned, we did collect trace evidence that leave no doubt that Noah is the victim of a homicide," Corona Police Chief George Johnstone told reporters Thursday.

Their specific findings were not released, as to not compromise the investigation, Johnstone added during the press conference. The boy's body has not been found.

Authorities also released photos of McIntosh's vehicle, a black BMW 330i, CA license 5MKE807, asking that anyone who may have seen it contact authorities.

On Wednesday, Corona police detectives searched the area of Lee Lake, in Temescal Valley, in connection to the case. Detectives have not said what led them to search the lake but told FOX 11 that nothing was found.

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Most of the investigation has been centered at the Corona apartment complex where Noah reportedly lived with his father and 11-year-old sister.

On March 12, police said Noah's mother expressed concerns over his whereabouts. Officers unsuccessfully attempted to contact Noah's father at their apartment, located in the 4000 block of Temescal Canyon Road. The next morning, officers served a search warrant at the residence in an attempt to locate the missing boy. Authorities said McIntosh was located inside with his 11-year-old daughter; however, officers did not find Noah.

Officers contacted Noah's local family members, but no one could provide Noah's current location.

"It does not make sense that the parents of an 8-year-old child would not know his whereabouts or be able to give us specific details of when he was last seen or where he last was," Johnstone said.

Later during the investigation, a plumbing company was spotted at the apartment. The company uses high-tech cameras to see inside air ducts and drains. It was unclear what investigators and the plumbers were searching for, but authorities were seen leaving with boxes of evidence.

The Corona Police Department partnered with county, state and federal law enforcement agencies to search for the missing boy.

The police department is asking any community member that may have seen Noah, McIntosh, McIntosh's vehicle or Godfrey between February 20 and March 12 to contact Senior Detective Mario Hernandez at 951-279-3659 or Mario.Hernandez@CoronaCA.gov.

Both parents remain in jail as authorities continue to search for Noah's body.