A boy whose kidnappers cut off his finger to persuade his drug-dealing older brother to pay up to $500,000 ransom was found dead wrapped in trash bags, two weeks after the brother was also discovered slain, police said.
The body of 12-year-old William Porter was found in 14 layers of plastic bags Sunday by a man collecting cans on a bike path in the Bronx.The boy was killed by a blow to the head, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner. The death was classified a homicide, she said.
Police said Monday they believe the boy was kidnapped Dec. 5 in an attempt to extort money from his older brother, reputed drug dealer Richard Thomas Porter, who was found shot to death Jan. 4 in the same area.
Detectives speculated at the time that the elder Porter, who had refused to cooperate with the police investigation, may have been trying to obtain the boy's release on his own.
William's 25-year-old brother was reputed to control several street dealers in Harlem. He was found shot in the head and chest. His wallet, with more than $2,000 in it, was found on his body.
The kidnappers demanded up to $500,000 for the youngster's return in a series of telephone calls, notes and a taped message from the boy on Dec. 5 and 6.
A police source said one of the ransom demands included William's severed right index finger and a short taped message, which were left in a coffee cup in a restaurant bathroom.
"They cutted my finger off," the sixth-grader cried on the tape, according to police. "Please help. I love you, mommy."