Moreno Valley Boy, 5, Is Found Dead Inside Closed Sofa Bed

Authorities are investigating the death of a 5-year-old Moreno Valley boy who family members said they found inside a closed sofa bed Thursday.

The cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy. No foul play is suspected, said Sgt. Mark Lohman of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen anything like this, somebody getting closed up in a sofa and dying,” he said.

Scott Dunn lived with his parents, grandparents, uncle and twin brother in a middle-class neighborhood and was last seen going to bed about 10 p.m. Wednesday.

His uncle, Mark Wade, sleeps in the living room’s sofa bed but the boy did not usually sleep there, Lohman said.

Police said they believe that sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., Scott slipped into the sofa bed without anyone knowing. Before Wade left for work about 2 a.m., he rolled the bed up.

In the morning when family members could not find the boy, his grandmother, Vicky Dunn, called police.

Shortly after, Scott’s father, Aaron Dunn, noticed the sleeper sofa was not properly closed. When he opened it, he found the boy’s body.

Scott was pronounced dead on the scene.