PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Palm Beach Gardens police have enlisted the help of federal and other law enforcement partners in the investigation into the killing of a 14-year-old boy.
Ryan Rogers was found dead Nov. 16 near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, police said. A bicycle was found near the body.
Palm Beach Gardens police later said Rogers was the victim of a homicide and not a traffic-related collision.
The boy's mother wrote on Facebook that her son went out for a bicycle ride the previous evening and didn't return home.
Police have not made an arrest or said how Rogers was killed, but they are following up on "the many tips that the public has provided." An $8,000 reward is being offered for information that helps police find his killer.
In a statement last week, Maj. Paul Rogers said investigators were "particularly interested" in witnesses who were near Central Boulevard and I-95 on Nov. 15 between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
He said Monday that police have now expanded that range to anyone in the area of Central Boulevard between PGA Boulevard and Donald Ross Road.
Meanwhile, Alton residents are decorating their homes with red ribbons in honor of Rogers, who lived in the community.
A makeshift memorial of flowers and a sign that read "Justice for Ryan" was on display Monday, exactly two weeks after Rogers disappeared, next to a tree along Central Boulevard, not far from where the body was found.
Maj. Paul Rogers said police continue to investigate tips from the public.
"We have received reports of individuals wearing dark clothing and masks in our community," he said. "These reports have been investigated and are not related to the Ryan Rogers homicide."
Stuart Kaplan, a lawyer and former FBI agent who lives in the area, said he hopes police will be more forthcoming.
"I think given the gravity of the totality of the circumstances to which befell this young child, I think the police department needs to be a little more forceful, a little bit more vocal in allowing or letting the community know that there is a dangerous person living amongst us," Kaplan said.
Carl Woods, a city councilman and former Palm Beach Gardens police officer, said in a statement, in part, that residents should "trust that your law enforcement agency is doing everything to solve this as quickly as possible."
"We do have a great police department," Woods said.
