New child vanished after secret delivery, mother and father allegedly claimed child ‘was a prank’: cops
A Florida couple accused of claiming their lacking toddler by no means existed has been arrested in North Carolina after a yearlong investigation into the kid’s presumed demise.
Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Feliz, 20, each of Hollywood, Florida, have been arrested Wednesday in Rockingham, North Carolina, the place investigators say they fled whereas Hollywood police investigated the disappearance of their toddler.
The pair have been taken into custody by investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace and the US Marshals Service and booked into the Richmond County Jail on fugitive of justice warrants. They’re being held with out bond pending extradition to Florida.
Hollywood police started investigating the case in early 2025 after studying Feliz allegedly gave delivery someday between Dec. 6, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, in response to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Authorities stated the delivery was hid and occurred someplace apart from a hospital.
Investigators stated members of the family noticed the couple with the newborn through the youngster’s first month of life. After that, authorities stated, the toddler was by no means seen once more.
Based on an arrest warrant obtained by WPLG, investigators consider the kid, recognized solely by the initials A.F., was final photographed on Jan. 5, 2025. Detectives wrote that the toddler appeared “visibly sick and malnourished” and confirmed “no indicators of life” in what they described as the ultimate identified picture.
The warrant additionally alleges investigators searched a number of areas with cadaver canine however have been unable to find the kid’s stays, in response to the outlet.
Authorities allege Alejandro and Feliz repeatedly denied the kid existed, telling family members the newborn “was a prank” and later claiming the being pregnant had been a “hoax” meant to rip-off members of the family out of cash, WPLG reported, citing the arrest warrant.
Based on the outlet, investigators stated images confirmed Feliz visibly pregnant, whereas textual content messages mentioned the being pregnant and the newborn.
Detectives additionally reportedly recovered child clothes, a optimistic being pregnant check and what gave the impression to be blood-stained towels from a storage unit tied to the couple. DNA testing later decided blood recovered from the newborn clothes and towels belonged to a organic youngster of Alejandro and Feliz, in response to the warrant.
Regardless of the dearth of a delivery certificates or medical data, investigators stated they developed sufficient proof to cost each suspects with aggravated manslaughter of a kid, tampering with or fabricating bodily proof, failure to report a demise to the medical expert, offering false data regarding a lacking youngster and making false studies to legislation enforcement.
Authorities allege the couple fled Florida and have been dwelling on property belonging to certainly one of Alejandro’s family members in Richmond County when investigators situated and arrested them July 22.
Richmond County Sheriff Mark Gulledge praised the multi-agency effort that led to the arrests.
“It is a prime instance of companies nationwide collaborating to uphold justice,” Gulledge stated in an announcement.
Authorities haven’t publicly launched extra particulars about what investigators consider occurred to the toddler.
Fox Information Digital has reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace for any extra updates on the investigation, however didn’t instantly obtain a response.
