Body of Dead Teenager Spotted on Google Maps, Father Requests Removal

Google Maps captured the crime scene of a 14-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Richmond, California in 2009. His father learnt of the images and immediately reported it to Google and asked the tech giant to remove the disturbing images. Google responded on Tuesday and has agreed to take them down.

Google Maps service said it is exploring "technical solutions" to remove the image after the teen's father, Jose Barrera, told a local TV station he had happened across the image last week. The father of 14-year-old Kevin Barrera had asked the company to take down the photo, apparently taken in 2009 shortly after Kevin was found shot to death next to the railroad tracks in California.

Google Maps vice-president Brian McClendon said: "Since the media first contacted us about the image, we've been looking at different technical solutions.

"Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstance we wanted to make an exception in this case."

"When I see this image, it's still like that happened yesterday," Barrera told KTVU-TV in Oakland. "And that brings me back to a lot of memories."

He told KTVU there was no reason the image should continue to be visible on the Internet.

"What's the point, so people can see pictures of my dead son?" he told the station. "It's been really painful for the family."

Police believe Kevin was killed in the same spot the night before his body was found, said Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov. Till today, investigators have not been able to find a motive for the murder or who committed it.