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3 missing N.J. boys found dead in car trunk

CAMDEN, N.J. - Three boys who had disappeared earlier in the week were found dead Friday in the trunk of a car parked near the yard where they were last seen, authorities said.

The bodies were discovered shortly before 7 p.m. by the father of one of the boys. It was not immediately clear how the boys got into the vehicle or whether foul play was involved.

A neighbor, Carmen Cilla, said she saw David Agosto open the trunk of the maroon Toyota and collapse to his knees screaming. Police rushed to the scene and cordoned off the property with yellow crime scene tape, draping white sheets over the tape to shield the car from view.

Yolanda DeNeely Aguilard, an aide to Mayor Gwendolyn Faison, confirmed the bodies had been found. She said she had no information on how the boys died.

The boys - Jesstin Pagan, 5; Daniel Agosto, 6; and Anibal Cruz, 11 - vanished from the yard next to Anibal's home on Wednesday evening. The car where they were found was parked in a driveway next to the yard. It was not clear if the car had been searched previously.

The boys had been the subject of an extensive search since their disappearance. About 150 police, firefighters and other officials had searched Friday using boats, helicopters, all-terrain vehicles and tracking dogs.

Neighbors in this crime-ridden city of about 80,000 people across the Delaware River from Philadelphia had passed out fliers to passing motorists with the boys' photos and descriptions. And earlier Friday, the parents of the children pleaded for help during a tearful news conference.

"All you guys, we love you. We want you back. We're not mad at you. Please come back. Please bring my baby back," said Jesstin's mother, Jessica Pagan. "If you have him, please let him go, please."

Anibal Cruz and Daniel Agosto both lived in Camden's largely Puerto Rican Cramer Hill neighborhood.

Jesstin Pagan lived several miles away in Mount Ephraim. He and his mother had been visiting Cruz's home.

[Last modified June 25, 2005, 00:35:14]