Cordarius Lashun Pegues.
Seven months after a special needs “child” was found near Ward Street and Shandon Avenue in Midland, authorities now know the young man’s full name, his age, the name of his mother and where he’s from.
According to the City of Midland, Cordarius is 24 and he’s from Midland.
His mother, Charlotte Latasha Pegues, 47, is now in jail. She’s been arrested on suspicion of exploitation of a disabled individual, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
Cordarius, who is non-verbal, was found January 29 wearing a pink helmet authorities thought he probably found while wandering around. They thought the dirty, disheveled young man was 13-17 years of age.
For months they’ve been trying to figure out who he is, where he’s from and who his family members are. One of the only clues they had was the name “Cordarius,” which the young man kept writing over and over again.
Authorities placed Cordarius in the care of Child Protective Services, took DNA samples and his fingerprints and spent months looking into leads and waiting for a DNA hit.
On Aug. 3, the Midland Police Department sent out a news release with an update on Cordarius.
They said he was a very “joyful” child who loves to swim, play basketball and attend church with his caregivers. They said he was going to school and getting speech, physical, and occupational therapy.
It’s wasn’t immediately clear how they came to identify his mother, but city officials said, she, too, is from Midland.
”Officials with the City of Midland, the Midland Police Department, and all agencies involved, would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and help. A special thank you to the news media in helping to elevate the story of Cordarius to a national level,” a news release stated.
The investigation is ongoing.
