Father makes first court appearance in 3-week-old son's murder trial

A man whose 3-week-old baby went missing from a Palmdale home in early May made his first appearance Tuesday in a Southland courtroom on murder and other charges.

Yusuf Dewees, 24, was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $2 million bail while awaiting arraignment Aug. 7 in a Lancaster courtroom.

He was in custody in Ogden, Utah, when he was charged June 5 with one count each of murder, assault on a child causing death and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death involving his son, Baki, some time between May 2 and 3, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

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"After an extensive search by LASD (the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department), including the Lancaster landfill, desert areas and areas in and around Palmdale and Lancaster, Baki's body has sadly not been located," Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said.

According to family members, Baki Dewees has been missing since May 3 and was last seen with his father.

The infant's great-aunt wrote on Facebook in May that Yusuf Dewees "took him (Baki) out of his grandmother's home and that was the last time anyone in my family saw him."

Yusuf Dewees was returned from Utah to Los Angeles County last Friday afternoon and has remained behind bars since then, jail records show.

Dewees could face life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.

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