Police investigating after 12-year-old boy found dead in Tacoma

A 12-year-old boy was found dead at South 40th Street and South Lawrence Street Friday, the Tacoma Police Department posted on X.

Officers were dispatched at 3:15 p.m. after receiving a call about an unresponsive boy, the post said. Tacoma Fire personnel also responded and pronounced the boy dead.

“Detectives and Crime Scene Technicians are actively investigating this incident as a suspicious death,” a police news release said. “Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”

Reached via phone Friday, Tacoma Police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said she did not have any updates beyond what was in the release. She said the detectives are early in their investigation and that it’s not clear when they will have an update to share.

Julia Park

The News Tribune

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Julia Park is the Gig Harbor reporter at The News Tribune and writes stories about Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Fox Island and other areas across the Tacoma Narrows. She started as a news intern in summer 2024 after graduating from the University of Washington, where she wrote for her student paper, The Daily, freelanced for the South Seattle Emerald and interned at Cascade PBS News (formerly Crosscut).