CROWN POINT | The body found in a Black Oak mobile home park has been identified as that of 13-year-old Christian Choate.
DNA testing conducted by the Indiana State Police crime laboratory confirmed a match, said P.J. Adams, spokesman for the Lake County coroner's office.
The body will remain in the custody of the coroner's office pending the outcome of court proceedings, he said.
The teen's body was discovered last month buried in a shallow grave. He is believed to have died in April 2009. He allegedly spent at least the last year of his life locked in a dog cage and subject to routine beatings.
Facing murder and other charges are his father, Riley Choate, 39, and stepmother, Kimberly Kubina Choate, 45.
Attorney Randy Godshalk, representing Riley Choate, is seeking court approval for an independent autopsy.
The matter is expected to be taken up July 5 before Lake Criminal Court Judge Diane Boswell.
Please Wait…