A PHOTOGRAPH of a little boy found dead on a Texas beach has been released by police in a desperate attempt to identify him.

The boy, named "Little Jacob" was found naked in the water in October last year, with authorities taking the drastic step of sharing a photograph of the dead boy's face to uncover his identity.

2 Police also released this recreation of the little boy

Police also released a drawing of the little boy, who was found on October 20 last year. To see the image of the deceased little boy released by police, click here. GRAPHIC WARNING.

Galveston Police said they had already tried searching local, state and national databases but were unable to find out the identify of Little Jacob.

They are now treating the boy's death as a homicide, with the youngster showing signs of having been abused before his death.

A spokesperson said: "Evidence found and collected at the scene and during the autopsy is limited. DNA samples have been collected and submitted to multiple labs in hopes of identifying the boy, unfortunately, these methods have been unable to assist with the identification as children this age do not usually have fingerprints or DNA on file."

2 The little boy's body was found on the beach in October last year Credit: Alamy

Police believe that the boy died around October 17 last year.

He appeared to have been in the water for 12-48 hours before his body was found near near the 700 block of Seawall Blvd.

Police said: "Autopsy results indicate that prior to his death, Little Jacob showed signs of neglect and injuries consistent with abuse; however, none of the injuries appeared to have been fatal."

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Police said: "We continue to believe that someone out there knows this child. Someone has seen him.

"This child deserves to be identified and properly laid to rest but for this to happen, input from the public is crucial."

Authorities are offering a USD $10,000 (GBP£7,000) reward for any one who can assist.

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