13-year-old boy who left home in snowstorm died after fall from communications tower: police

The 13-year-old Iowa boy found deceased days after he left home during an argument with his parents died after falling from a communication tower, according to authorities.

The Marshalltown Police Department said Corey Brown apparently hopped over a security fence to enter the site of the tower, located about a mile from his family home, last Tuesday night.

The teen then climbed up the communication tower before falling from an undetermined distance, resulting in a "significant" head injury. He died due to blunt force trauma, a preliminary autopsy revealed.

Marshalltown Police Chief Michael Tupper said details surrounding the boy's motive for climbing the communication tower still remain a mystery.

"We don’t know why Corey was climbing the tower, what happened, how he fell off the tower," Tupper told the Marshalltown Times-Republican. "All I know is that he was there, and he fell. Nobody was there to talk to Corey, so we obviously can’t know his frame of mind."

Brown was last seen leaving his family home on Jan. 22 around 11:15 p.m., a few hours after he allegedly had an argument with his parents that resulted in his cellphone being taken away.

Brown's body was discovered near the tower on Jan. 27 around 10:45 a.m., bringing a massive, five-day search effort for the teen to a tragic close.

Authorities on Wednesday thanked Marshalltown citizens, who posted fliers and hung green ribbons and lights outside their homes to show support for the missing boy and his family, for their support in the case.

"The community has rallied behind the Brown family and all of public safety," Chief Tupper said. "The community support has been nothing short of phenomenal."