CARTHAGE, Mo. — Residents expressed shock and sadness Sunday morning over the apparent death of 8-month-old Eddie Salazar, who disappeared Thursday night.Gilda Vargas, co-pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Hispano Americana, said she doesn’t know the Salazar family, but her heart goes out to the child’s mother.“I feel so sad,” said Vargas, who has an 8-month-old daughter. “I think she is going to suffer for plenty of time, and I think only God can feel that loneliness.”Eddie Salazar Sr., the child’s father, was arrested Friday on charges of filing a false police report. He remained in police custody Sunday on $100,000 bond.The body of a boy thought to be baby Eddie was found Saturday afternoon in Spring River. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning in Columbia.The Rev. Steven Wilson of Episcopal Grace Church said he thinks Carthage residents are still in shock.“I don’t think the community has had enough time to digest the situation,” he said.Wilson said he sees an immediate need in the community for prayer, but beyond that he has no plan yet for how to help people deal with Eddie’s death.“I think at this point, we don’t know what the need is,” he said. “In terms of what to do, sometimes it is best to wait and see what the needs are.”
For updated information on this story see Monday’s Joplin Globe.
