Police Wonder Whether Bones Belong To Missing Boy

STOCKLAND, Ill. -- Police say bones found in an Illinois field are being tested to see whether they belong to a missing Benton County boy.

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Investigators Determining Whether Bones Belong To Missing Boy

A farmer found a skull and other bones Friday near Stockland, Ill., about 5 miles from the border with Indiana's Benton County, RTV6's Vicki Duncan reported.

Police have been searching for Nicolas Zavala (pictured, left), who was 12 when he disappeared in August.

Investigators are awaiting DNA tests on the found bones. An investigator in Iroquois County, Ill., said next week is the earliest the results could be ready.

Investigators say the bone discovery also will prompt them to revisit some Illinois missing-person cases.

Nicolas' grandmother, Margaret Williams, reported him missing nine days after she said she dropped him off at a library, where he was to meet with two friends and their uncle to leave for a camping trip.

Last month, police said blood that was found at Williams' Benton County house is that of her grandson. The boy had been living with Williams for a few months at the time of his disappearance, police said.

Williams told investigators she didn't know the names, addresses, or phone numbers of the people who were to take him on the camping trip. Investigators also have not been able to identify them, having checked with local schools.

Williams (pictured, left) was charged in October with neglect. Authorities contend Williams should have known the people she claims took Nicolas on the camping trip, and where the camping trip was supposed to be.

"If you are caring for (a child at that age), it is your responsibility to know where (he or she) is at all times," Indiana State Police Sgt. Shana Kennedy said. "Especially when you're sending them off with people that we have never been able to determine whether they exist."

Williams, who is free on bail, was scheduled to go on trial on the neglect charge this month, but it has been delayed.