MESA, Ariz. — A 16-year-old boy reported missing earlier this month in Mesa has died, police said.
James Zoccoli was last seen on June 1 after he left his residence on foot. Mesa police then sent out a bulletin asking for help in finding the missing teenager.
On June 8, a young man was found unconscious at a Phoenix residence and taken to the hospital. A nurse recognized him from Zoccoli's missing person bulletin and contacted police.
The patient was positively identified as the missing teen. Police said Zoccoli did not regain consciousness and died on June 9.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office is working to determine how the teen died.
UP TO SPEED
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
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