VALRICO -- Hillsborough County Sheriff's officials say they believe the body of missing boy Luis Martinez has been located.
Martinez was reported missing by his parents about 3:30 p.m. Friday.
There are conflicting reports about what Martinez had been doing when he was last seen.
Some reports said he was playing at a neighbor's home on Silver Lane, south of State Road 60 and off Mulrennan Road.
Other reports said he was walking up and down his street asking for ice cream.
Crews were out in the Valrico area, where a command center was set up near S.R. 60 and Mulrennan Road -- in an open field.
Because of the various terrain, a dive team joined the search to scan nearby lakes and ponds.
Dozens of deputies and lots of volunteers fanned out in the area around 8:30 a.m. in search of the toddler.
Later on in the morning, it was reported 60 law enforcement officers and 150 volunteers were involved in the search.
Shortly before 2 p.m. officials announced they believe Martinez fell into an open septic tank hole in the ground near a mobile home park on Silver Lane.
A local company was able to come out and pump down the hole's raw sewage low enough that investigators now say his body is most likely there.
Heavy equipment is needed to excavate the hole, so that the body may be removed.
Originally, investigators did not think the hole was large enough for the child to fit into because it was so overgrown with grass.
It is about 11 inches wide and 5-feet deep, connected to a septic tank.
"We were notified by someone in the area who had thought about this and was aware of an area here that was very close to where the child went missing," said Sheriff David Gee. "There was a small hole that, although it would not be apparent if you weren't familiar with the area, that a septic tank had been opened and that grass had grown over it."
The medical examiner is en route to the scene to possibly recover the body.
Sheriff Gee said that the boy's parents have been notified of the discovery.
A new investigation begins into the septic tank hole and why it was uncovered. Neighbors have said they reported it, but nothing was done.
Information from News 13’s Bright House Networks affiliate, Bay News 9, was used in this report.
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