An autopsy revealed Leiby Kletzky was given a cocktail of four different drugs and then smothered, officials revealed Wednesday. Leiby was murdered on Tuesday, a day after he went missing and not long before his murderer was found – along with parts of Leiby's body.
Autopsy shows Leiby Kletzy was drugged, smothered; Accused killer Levi Aron indictment expected
BY Rich Schapiro and John Lauinger • New York Daily News
An autopsy revealed Leiby Kletzky was given a cocktail of four different drugs and then smothered, officials revealed Wednesday.
The 8-year-old boy had traces of a muscle relaxer, anti-psychotic medicine, a pain-killer and Tylenol in his blood, the city medical examiner said.
After he was drugged, the boy was smothered, the autopsy showed.
His accused killer, Levi Aron, told police he smothered the boy with a towel before dismembering his body.
Aron may be indicted Wednesday in the murder of the Borough Park boy, who was abducted on July 11 as he walked home from summer camp, law enforcement sources say.
Portions of his body were found in the freezer of Aron's home two days later. Aron confessed to the killing and told police he snapped and murdered the boy when he learned of the massive police investigation into his disappearance.
Officials said Leiby died the day his remains were found -- not long before the suspect's arrest. Kletzky's parents marked the end of their seven-day grieving period Wednesday morning with a religious tradition of walking outside their Brooklyn home.
Nachman and Esty Kletzky, surrounded by relatives, walked around their block at 15th Ave. in Borough Park at about 6 a.m. "It's a sign that your escorting the soul to its resting place," said Jack Meyer, of Misaskim, an organization that provides services to grieving families. The ritual marks the end of shiva, the Jewish tradition of mourning the dead with friends and relatives inside the home.
It lasts seven days. About 9:40 a.m., Misaskim workers carried prayer books, building chairs, portable air-conditioners and a podium out of the Kletzkys' home. Meyer said little Leiby's mourning parents now face a tougher challenge.
"They have had thousands of people who came to show them moral support," he said. "Now the trying time starts. They're all alone. ... Now they've got to cope with it on their own."