In a shocking turn of events, a one-year old baby boy was discovered alive beside a Louisiana highway after being missing for two days , having braved the harsh conditions brought on by Hurricane Beryl earlier in the week.
The infant has been hailed as a "miracle baby" following his ordeal, emerging with nothing more than numerous insect bites. However, his four-year-old brother died as a result of an accident.
He was otherwise in good health, according to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Gary "Stitch" Guillory, who spoke to the media following the child's discovery.
Conswella Jack, the children's grandmother, had been helping to look after them - and revealed she was sent a picture of a
"She sent me a picture of a car in some bushes that kind of looked like it was wrecked . I was confused, so I called, called and called, and could not reach her," Jack said.
The young boy, whose identity has not been disclosed, was initially feared dead after the body of his 4 year old brother was retrieved from a lake behind the Interstate 10 welcome centre near the Texas border on Monday.
On the same night, the boys' mother, Aaliyah Jack, aged 25, was apprehended by police in Meridian, Mississippi, approximately 350 miles from where her sons were located in Lake Charles. This city is situated in the southwest part of Louisiana, roughly 143 miles east of Houston, Texas, and 206 miles west of New Orleans, and is a mere 37 miles from the Texas border.
A lorry driver reportedly found the one-year-old crawling along the highway verge and immediately alerted the authorities upon seeing the infant.
In an emotional address to the press, Guillory said, "We look at this 1-year-old as our miracle baby because he was still alive."
He further remarked, "This kid spent two days out in the weather on the side of the highway. Thank God that trucker seen him."
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Hurricane Beryl hit the eastern part of Texas early on Monday, meaning the frantic search for the child took place amid heavy rain bands that intermittently lashed the area along with high-speed wind gusts.
The authorities were reportedly ready to search the waters near where the boy's brother was found early Tuesday morning when a 911 call came in reporting the discovery of the baby.
While investigating the death of the 4 year old boy, the authorities reportedly learned that he had last been seen with his mother on Saturday and that his baby brother had been with them. All were from Lake Charles.
The circumstances of the death and why the mother fled, leaving her 1 year old son behind, were not clear. However, after her arrest on Monday night, Kayla Vincent, a spokeswoman for the sheriff, said the only charge pending against the woman as of Wednesday afternoon was one of failure to report a missing child.
Vincent added that no other charges were being pressed against the woman but that the investigation is ongoing. She was slated to be extradited to Louisiana from Mississippi, and Guillory said she'd be held at $300,000 bond per a Louisiana judge's order.
Online booking records were reportedly not accessible on Wednesday, and it was unclear whether the mother had legal representation. Autopsy reports on the 4 year old boy were also pending, according to reports.
The official cause of death has not been disclosed yet.
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