The body of a missing 4-year-old from Lawrence was recovered from the Merrimack River in Tewksbury Friday morning, officials said.
Azriel Lopez had been missing for nearly two weeks when his body was found by an off-duty Massachusetts State Police lieutenant, according to the Middlesex district attorney’s office. The lieutenant was boating near the Trull Brook Golf Course around 9 a.m. when he saw the boy’s body.
Lopez was reported missing in the water near the Western Canal in Lowell at around 5:45 p.m. on April 19. Police said preliminary indications suggested the boy was pulled by the current into the river.
Local and state police mounted an extensive search of the river by boat and air, assisted by firefighters and dive teams. Agencies from several communities along the river, including Methuen, Dracut, and Lawrence, also participated in the search.
The State Police Marine Unit and Dive Team responded Friday morning and identified the body as Lopez’s, officials said. Tewksbury, Lowell, and Methuen police also assisted in the recovery of the body.
The chief medical examiner’s office will determine the immediate cause of death, officials said. Foul play is not suspected.
Days after their son went missing, Lopez’s family told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra they knew he was likely dead, but they urged rescuers to continue the search for his body.
“I haven’t slept, I haven’t eaten, because he’s my son,’’ said Carmen Fontanéz, Lopez’s mother, in Spanish. “No one will understand a mother’s pain.’’
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.