Jason Lea’s Death Ruled a Homicide : Boy, 9, Died From ‘Severe Blows to Chest,’ Autopsy Reveals

Jason Lea, the 9-year-old Upland boy whose body was found at the base of a cliff in the San Gabriel Mountains earlier this month, was killed by “severe blows to the chest,” authorities said Tuesday.

“The blunt force trauma to the chest was the result of an assault. It is being listed as a homicide,” said Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Bob Dambacher.

Coroner’s investigators did not determine what type of object might have caused the injuries, but said the trauma was not caused by a fall off the cliff. An undetermined amount of alcohol was also found in the boy’s body, but no sign of drugs was found, Dambacher said.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives, in whose jurisdiction the boy’s body was found, said the autopsy report also indicates that the victim received injuries both before and after death.

Homicide investigators will submit evidence to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for possible filing of murder charges once they receive the written coroner’s report, possibly today, said Deputy Chris Wahla.

Two juveniles, 16 and 17, were initially arrested in connection with the disappearance. Lea’s nude body then was found Aug. 4 at the bottom of a 200-foot ravine off Glendora Ridge Road in the Mt. Baldy area.

Later, two other suspects, age 18 and 19, surrendered, and sheriff’s homicide detectives sought murder complaints against them.

However, prosecutors decided against filing charges against any of the four for lack of evidence. They noted that the coroner at the time had not yet ruled on the cause of death.

Two of the original four suspects remain in custody of San Bernardino County authorities. The 18 year-old is being held on a probation violation, and one of the juveniles remains in custody on an unrelated charge.

Meanwhile, memorial services were held for Lea on Tuesday at the 11th Street Baptist Church in Upland.

The boy, who lived with his grandfather, disappeared the night of July 29 after going for a bicycle ride. His bicycle was found outside an arcade in Upland.