Sheriff: 21-month-old boy possibly abducted during Florida car theft
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - An Amber Alert has been issued for a 21-month-old Jacksonville, Fla. boy who police say was possibly taken during a car theft early Friday outside an apartment complex.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Lonzie Barton may have been in a car belonging to his mother's boyfriend when it was stolen just after 2 a.m. Friday. The vehicle was recovered several blocks away but the little boy was not inside.
The boy weighs about 20 pounds and has blue eyes and blond hair.The sheriff's office said on its official Twitter account that the boy was wearing only a diaper when he went missing.
Authorities said the boyfriend of the child's mother briefly left the 21-month-old boy and the boy's 5-year-old sister in an orange 1995 Honda Civic while he went back inside their apartment to get something. They were on their way to pick up the children's mother who was just getting off work from her job at a restaurant.
The 5-year-old girl exited the vehicle to go upstairs to tell the boyfriend she was scared and when the boyfriend went back outside, he saw someone driving off in his car, authorities said, according to CBS affiliate WJAX-TV.
Chief Tom Hackney said they are searching nearby areas because it's possible the 21-month-old boy could have also left the car before it was taken. WJAZ-TV reports authorities said the child was not restrained in a car seat at the time of the theft.
Authorities have asked residents to check yards and vacant lots in the area. Area businesses have also been asked to check surveillance videos for any possible clues.
During a news conference Friday morning, Hackney said investigators are examining the recovered vehicle and looking for any DNA evidence. Sheriff's officials are asking anyone with information about the boy to contact them at 904-630-0500.