As the days pass, more and more questions continue to arise about the boy found in Midland.
The answers to those questions continue to be limited.
Midland Police Department Detective Jennie Alonzo addressed members of the media about the boy found by the department’s officers in an alley near Ward Street and Shandon Avenue on Sunday.
“I hope this gets out as widely as possible, so we can maybe find a cousin, an aunt, a sibling, a step-sibling, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, anyone who recognized him, even a neighbor or former neighbor that can come forward and say ‘Hey, I think this child is this child and this is why,’” Alonzo said during the press conference.
The City of Midland is asking the public to call 432-685-7108 if they have any information about the boy.
Alonzo said this case, which she called a “rarity” is especially tricky for MPD as the boy is non-verbal.
Alonzo was asked how MPD attempted to connect with him in other ways and Alonzo said she can’t comment on that specific question at this time.
“Because he is non-verbal he can’t communicate with us and he can’t tell us what he’s feeling, where he’s from, where he came from, who he was living with last, we actually have no idea where he’s from,” Alonzo said.
The press conference took place at the Midland Police Department where Alonzo fielded an array of questions from media members. Alonzo talked about the DNA and fingerprint process to online rumors to what happens to the boy if he remains unclaimed.
One of the big questions Alonzo answered is the online belief the boy found in Midland is the same missing boy from Collier County, Fla. The Florida boy went missing on Jan. 10, 2009. Alonzo said the department doesn’t believe he is that boy and she has been in contact with authorities at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. She said the two departments are sharing information.
“Due to physical characteristics of the child that we have compared to the physical characteristics that the child has in Florida, we don’t believe it’s the same child,” Alonzo said. “However, we have obtained a DNA sample from the child here and we are going to compare it to the missing child in Florida.”
In a press release issued on Tuesday evening, MPD Detectives and Crime Scene Unit collected DNA and fingerprints from him at 4 p.m. that afternoon and he was asked to write his name. The child wrote the name “Cordarius” several times.
Alonzo said MPD didn’t get any hits on the name “Cordarius” when they searched the database with that name and the appearance of the boy.
Though DNA and fingerprints were collected on Tuesday, Alonzo said those samples are set to be tested in Dallas, but the recent winter storm has caused additional delays.
“It can typically take several weeks,” Alonzo said about obtaining DNA results. “We send our DNA sample out to Dallas and since they are currently snowed in and no one is in the office at this time, we can’t even request it to be expedited to get an estimate time of how long it will take.”
Alonzo said there could be criminal charges filed against the parents and guardians for the boy.
She explained those charges could range from injury to a child and endangering a child. Injury to a child can range from a first-degree felony to a state-jail felony. Endangering a child can range from a second-degree felony to a state jail felony.
The maximum penalties for a first-degree felony of injury to a child can include between 5 and 99 years, or life in prison. They could also be fined up to $10,000. The maximum penalties for a second-degree felony of endangering a child can include no less than two years, but up to 20 years in prison and a fine that can cost up to $10,000.
Alonzo said the boy is currently in Children Protective Services and that would continue if he remains unclaimed.
“If we can figure out who he was in original care and we can file charges, there will be charges filed,” Alonzo said.
A press release issued by MPD detailed officers were dispatched on Sunday to the intersection of Ward Street and Shandon Avenue regarding a check person request. Officers saw a black male, 13 to 17 years old, walking alone in the alley.
Officers attempted to collect information, but he wouldn’t respond. Officers recognized he may have a mental disability and was non-verbal.
Alonzo believes the pink helmet the boy was wearing was something he found while walking around. She also doesn’t know how long the boy had been walking around before being picked up by MPD.
“We do not,” Alonzo said when asked about how long the boy has been on his own.
