LAYTON -- The daylong search for 4-year-old Ethan Stacy came to a sad end Tuesday afternoon, leaving even police officers shocked and upset.
"When you have a crime like this involving a child, it makes you wonder how that can happen," said Layton Police Lt. Garret Atkin. "Something like this shouldn't happen in your community."
Atkin made the comments following a news conference announcing the arrest of Nathan Sloop, 31.
Sloop was booked into Davis County Jail on aggravated murder charges in the death of Ethan, his stepson. He also was booked on felony child abuse, obstruction of justice and desecration of a corpse.
The boy's mother, Stephanie Sloop, 27, was booked on one count of felony child abuse, obstruction of justice and desecration of a corpse, Atkin said.
A massive search for the boy began early Tuesday morning after his mother called police at 11:55 p.m. Monday. She reported her son had left the apartment sometime after she tucked him in bed at 9 p.m. Monday.
Police recovered Ethan's body at a burial site in Wolf Creek Canyon at 5 p.m. Nathan Sloop was informed of the charges against him about 5:30 p.m.
Rumors spread earlier in the day that investigators were searching for the body in Weber County.
Atkin said he didn't know how long the boy had been buried in the wooded area. His office is waiting for the state medical examiner's report on what caused Ethan's death.
Asked the condition of the body, Atkin said, "I'd rather not go into the details."
Ethan's biological father, who lives in Virginia, has been notified of the boy's death, Atkin said.
Ethan came to Utah on May 1 to spend the summer with his mother, Atkin said.
Atkin said the mother reported her son missing as "a ruse." He also said the mother's reports that her son had tried to run away several times before were also "lies."
The Sloops became "persons of interest in the case" after their stories kept changing, Atkin said.
"It was obvious they were trying to cover up their tracks," Atkin said.
According to the state court's website, a Nathan Warren Sloop with the same date of birth as the one listed in the Layton police news release was convicted of third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance in 2003 in 2nd District Court in Ogden.
He was placed on probation until May 2005, when the court reduced the third-degree felony to a class A misdemeanor and terminated his probation.
Atkin said the Sloops were married this month.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said Tuesday evening he had not reviewed the evidence or the facts of the case so he could not comment on the exact charges his office will file against the two.
Charges could be filed as early as today, and the Sloops could be in court this afternoon for their first hearings.
More than 40 officers from multiple agencies were involved in searching for the boy until 11 a.m. Tuesday, when police received information of "a possible burial site," Atkin said.
The Sloops at that time were at the Layton police station for questioning.
Atkin said there were no other children in the apartment, where the family had just recently moved.
Atkin said police always interview parents thoroughly when a child is missing "because they are the last ones to see the child."
Atkin said the terrain in the canyon and the weather made it difficult for investigators to process the burial site.
Atkin said he did not know where the boy died.
The Weber County Sheriff's Office assisted the Layton Police Department in locating the boy's body.
Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Philip Howell said five investigators and four crime scene specialists from his agency had been at the scene since about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"We're searching for evidence at this time," Howell said. "Our people will be here for as long as it takes."
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