Bailey County boy found dead

PARMER COUNTY — A 15-year-old Bailey County boy was found dead Wednesday night, his body buried in a cotton module, Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries said.

Officials did not immediately release the boy’s name, but Geries said he lived in Bailey County and was working with his parents’ permission in a cotton field in south-central Parmer County.

An autopsy is being conducted today in Lubbock, the sheriff said, but initial findings suggest the death was accidental. Reasons why the boy may have been inside the module builder are only speculative, the sheriff said.

The body was discovered about 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release. Workers realized the boy was missing hours earlier and began searching.

“He had been building modules for some time, so he had experience,” Geries said.

Geries said his office notified Occupational Safety Health Administration about the death, but he did not believe any labor laws had been violated.

A phone call to OSHA representatives in Lubbock was not immediately returned on Thursday.

The cotton field is located off Country Road BB and County Road 12, according to the news release.