An Amber Alert in Virginia Beach came to a tragic end on January 27, 2025. Police, family, and neighbors had been searching for missing 12-year-old Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo since January 24, hoping to find him alive. Sadly, three days after the family last saw Juan, divers found his body in a pond near his family’s apartment.
The day he disappeared, Juan’s school was closed due to inclement weather. His parents permitted him to walk to a friend’s house that day, but sadly, he never arrived.
Juan’s parents called the police later that night, and a full-scale search began. As news of his disappearance began to circulate on social media, his parents hoped for any information leading to Juan. The family even created a reward to encourage leads. Sadly, it appears someone scammed the family out of money, leading the family to give a stranger $500.
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During a news conference on January 27, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said it’s not uncommon for criminals to profit from these vulnerable situations.
“This would not be the first time that that type of scam has been perpetuated on a family that is going through difficult circumstances. Is that a possibility? It absolutely is,” Neudigate said during the news conference.
How Juan ended up in the water remains a mystery. Neudigate mentioned it’s too soon to determine his cause of death, but the cold temperatures and frozen water may have played a part in a tragic accident.
“It’s too early for me to speculate … We just recovered him. As we get more information and we can confirm facts and not what we believe occurred, we will get that out to the community,” he said at the news conference. “We had no specific indication that these ponds were an area of interest, but we did not want to leave any stone unturned.”
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Loved ones held a candlelight vigil in memory of Juan on Monday evening. Community members mourned the boy’s life.
“That’s a terrible, terrible tragedy,” Anna Moore said to WAVY.
Courtney Rivera echoed the statement. “Heartbroken. There’s no words. I was literally left speechless, you know,” she said. “You’re waiting for an update, and you finally get it, and that’s the update. Every time I talk about it, it makes me cry. There’s no words.”
Juan was a student at Larkspur Middle School. The administration sent home the following letter obtained by WAVY:
“It is with profound sadness that I share the heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our students. This tragedy deeply impacts our entire school community, and our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
“We understand this loss may bring up many emotions for our students, staff, and families. For many students, this may be their first experience with the loss of a classmate. While immediate family is often the greatest source of comfort, please know that Larkspur Middle School is here to support our students as well. We will have additional counseling resources available to anyone who needs them. If your child would like to speak with someone, please encourage them to connect with our counselors, who are ready to provide support.
“As we process this loss together, I encourage us all to lean on one another, offering kindness, compassion, and understanding during this difficult time.“
Juan’s death remains under investigation.
