Missing California toddler Thaddeus Sran's remains may have been found; police work to confirm ID

The remains of a 2-year-old California boy who disappeared from his home last week are believed to have been found, authorities said Thursday.

The Madera Police Department said human remains of a child between the ages of 2 and 3 were found around 9:15 a.m. by cadaver dogs. Officials said they could not confirm the remains are those of Thaddeus Sran, pending testing results.

"It's a very strong possibility that it is little Thaddeus," Police Chief Dino Lawson told reporters during a news briefing.

Sran was reported missing by his parents July 15 after he vanished from their home in Madera, about 25 miles from Fresno. They told police they put him to bed around 10 p.m. the night before and discovered him missing the next morning.

On Tuesday, Madera police announced that the parents had stopped cooperating with investigators.

"Unfortunately, Thaddeus’ parents stopped cooperating early on in the investigation. We believe their assistance in this case would be helpful," the department had said in a statement. "We are hopeful that they will resume cooperating with Madera Police Department detectives and help us to locate Thaddeus."

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The couple had an infant daughter who died in 2015, Madera Police Lt. Josiah Arnold told Fox News. The case in her death remains open, he said.

Sran was born premature and requires a feeding tube to eat. He was also described as nonverbal and had just learned to walk, police said.

Investigators are looking at a number of possibilities related to the boy's disappearance, Lawson said.

“Everything is on the table and we’re not ruling anything out,” he added.