After a trucker spotted the toddler in a Louisiana ditch off the highway on Tuesday, a family member helped sheriff’s deputies connect him to the body of his brother, found Monday at a nearby Welcome Center.
Two cases became one after authorities in Louisiana were able to connect a one-year-old toddler found alive in a ditch to the body of a four-year-old found the day before behind a nearby visitors center.
The case started on Monday when the body of a four-year-old boy was found in the lake behind the Vinton Welcome Center.
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A relative called the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office that night concerned the boy might be a relative, according to KATC, which triggered a BOLO (“be on the lookout) alert for the child’s mother. The boy was last seen on Saturday with his mother and one-year-old brother, per the relative.
Aaliyah N. Jack, 25, was later found at a train station in Mississippi and picked up by the Meridian Police Department, but her one-year-old was not with her. She was charged with failure to report a missing child.
Investigators caught a lucky break early the following morning. The search was on, with investigators preparing to search the waters where the four-year-old was found, per CrimeOnline, when a truck driver saw a one-year-old wandering in a ditch along Interstate 10 in Louisiana, about four miles from the Welcome Center.
“We call him our miracle baby, because it’s a miracle he’s still alive,” said Calcasieu Sheriff Gary “Stitch” Guillory of the 9 a.m. discovery, per KPLC’s full video coverage (above). “We’re so thankful for this trucker that saw this baby this morning and immediately pulled over on the side of the road and called 911.”
Clearly getting emotional during the Tuesday morning press conference, Guillory continued, “This kid spent two days out in the weather on the side of the highway. Thank God that trucker saw him. When you look at the video, there he was, crawling toward the highway.”
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According to authorities, the child was checked out at a nearby hospital. Aside from some bug bites, he was in good shape. His brother’s body was sent for an autopsy in hopes a cause of death could be determined. There were no obvious signs of injury when the CPSO Marine Division recovered his body.
“Our investigation still going on, we still have a lot of work to do but I can promise you that this sheriff’s office is going to commit every resource we have in order to bring justice,” said Guillory. Deputies in Louisiana and Mississippi are working together on the case.
“Our hearts go out to the family members of these two children,” he added in a statement posted to the CPSO Facebook page.
Jack is currently being held on a $300,000 bond. She could still face more charges, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
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