SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Authorities in Mississippi have a suspect in custody after a 2-year-old boy was abandoned Monday morning at a Goodwill donation outlet in Southaven.
Southaven Chief of Police Macon Moore confirmed to WHBQ that the suspect, whose name has not been released, was apprehended in Memphis with the assistance of the FBI at around 3:30 p.m., or roughly six hours after the toddler was deserted.
Moore did not specify what charges the suspect is facing.
“We would like to thank all of the citizens who showed concern for the child. Rest assured, he is well and being taken care of and will be reunited with family when CPS determines this is proper,” the department reported in a prepared statement.
The child, who was left at the outlet at around 9:30 a.m. with a plastic bag containing a note and a change of clothes, has been identified and is in the custody of Mississippi Child Protective Services, USA Today reported.
Southaven is 15 miles south of Memphis, near Tennessee’s border with Mississippi.
According to police, a man wearing black jogging pants and a black cowboy hat dropped the barefoot child off and left on foot, WHBQ reported.
A person who was tending to the child after his discovery told the TV station that the note read, “His mother cannot take care of him anymore.”
According to USA Today, Goodwill released the following statement: “The safety of the child is our top priority, and we are very sorry to hear about the circumstances of this young child.”
Cox Media Group
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