Mother Of Child Found Wandering SW Miami-Dade Street Surfaces
NARANJA (CBSMiami) – More than six hours after a young boy was found alone wandering the streets of a neighborhood in Naranja his mother has come forward.
Monday afternoon the 3-year old's mother and aunt contacted police to say that the boy belong to them. During questioning, the mother told investigators that there was a misunderstanding between her and a family member who was supposed to be taking care of the child, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families.
Police say early Monday the boy was found walking outside an apartment complex in the area of SW 137th Avenue and 270th Street but no one came forward to claim him.
Christopher Smith, who lives at the complex, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that he found the child wandering alone outside his apartment.
"I Asked him where he lived and he told me 'down there' and I asked him where that was and he did not know where his home was. These buildings look alike. When I saw him I thought I have to find his parents."
Another concerned neighbor told D'Oench that she frantically went door to door looking for the child's mother.
"It was bad," said Vicki Peart. "I am a mother and I didn't like this. I went knocking on doors."
D'Oench spoke to the child. He was a bit difficult to understand but said he walked out of his home and missed his mom.
He also said his name was "Rich" but police said his name is "Jesiah."
When D'Oench asked him if he walked out of his home, "Jesiah" responded, "Yes."
When he was asked where his mother and father were, he said, "I don't know. I'm a kid."
A DCF investigator left the office and drove away with Jesiah and his mother. The DCF spokeswoman said the agency was going to her home to make sure it was safe and to make sure this would not happen again.
"We are not finding fault with the mother at this point," said DCF spokeswoman Lissette Valdes-Valle.
It's still not known how the child got out of his home and why it took so long for the child's aunt and mother to come forward.
They arrived at a DCF office in Southwest Miami-Dade where the child was being held at 2 p.m., more than six and a half hours after the child was found and some two hours after this story received extensive coverage on the 12 noon news.
Miami-Dade Police and DCF appealed for help in finding the child's parents, describing him as "40 pounds and 2 ½ feet tall." Police were not able to determine the child's last name or his parents names or where he lived.
"This certainly shows that you have to have a good plan in place for your child and always know who the child is with and how to get in touch with the people caring for the child," said Valdes-Valle.
The child's aunt refused to comment when D'Oench spoke with her, saying "I can't imagine being famous. This is annoying."
The child's mother also refused to say anything when she left, telling news crews to get out of her way.
