Mother arrested after 4-year-old son found dead, infant found crawling in ditch
A woman was arrested in Mississippi after her 4-year-old son was found dead and her 1-year-old was found crawling in a ditch -- both across state lines.
Aaliyah Jack, 25, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was arrested at a train station in Mississippi, while she was attempting to get out of town, hours after her son's body was found, according to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Gary Guillory.
Calcasieu Parish sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a body floating in the water behind the Vinton Welcome Center, near the Texas-Louisiana border on Monday.
The body was recovered from the water and confirmed to be a 4-year-old Black boy, who was not suffering any obvious signs of trauma, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office checked with local agencies and agencies in Texas, but did not find any reports of a missing child that matched the description of the deceased.
After a concerned family member reached out to investigators saying they believed the 4-year-old may have been their relative, deputies were able to identify the child, according to the sheriff's office.
The child was last seen with his mother and brother on Saturday, law enforcement said.
Deputies issued a "Be on the Lookout For" alert for Jack to other law enforcement agencies, before issuing a warrant for her arrest with a $300,000 bond. She has been charged with failure to report a missing child.
Jack was found without her 1-year-old and was taken into custody by the Meridian Police Department.
Her 1-year-old son was found on Tuesday morning after a passerby on Interstate 10 saw a baby crawling in a ditch near mile marker 10 and called 911.
"We look at this 1-year-old as our miracle baby cause he was still alive -- unbelievable. This kid spent two days out in the weather on the side of the highway. Thank God that trucker seen him," Guillory told reporters in a press conference Tuesday.
"When you look at the video you can see he was crawling toward the highway," Guillory said.
The 1-year-old was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition. The infant had a few insect bites, but was sitting up and drinking water in the ambulance after he was found, according to Guillory.
The infant is now in the care of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
Jack had previous minor criminal offenses, according to Guillory.
Investigators met with the father of the 4-year-old, who told them he is not in a relationship with Jack.
The Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office told ABC News the autopsy report has not yet been completed for the 4-year-old.
The sheriff's office said more charges are possible in the case.
