Police: Mom to Be Charged for Reporting Son Missing

UPDATE (1 p.m.)—A 2-year-old has been found after his mother reported him missing, and the story surrounding his disappearance appears to be a hoax, according to Baltimore Police. Now the mother is facing a criminal charge.

King Silver, 2, was located unharmed at daycare; and his mother, who told police that he was in the back of a stolen sedan, will be charged for making a false report, Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said.

Police said Friday morning that a woman reported her vehicle had been carjacked with her son inside on Harlem Avenue in west Baltimore.

“We found out that the child was never in harm’s way,” Smith said at a Friday afternoon press conference. “This was something that was fabricated in an effort to get a vehicle back.”

The woman’s car was actually stolen, according to Smith, but her son was not inside.

“The child was located at a daycare center,” where he was dropped off earlier Friday morning, Smith said.

There is still a lookout for the vehicle, he added.

Authorities are preparing to charge the mother with making a false statement due to the “extraordinary” amount of resources deployed to find a child who was not missing, according to Smith, who said the search included two helicopters, countless officers and assistance from other agencies.

“We’re fortunate that the child is OK,” Smith said, characterizing the rest of the situation as “unfortunate.”

Child Protective Services will be notified of the incident, Smith said, explaining it was “inappropriate for that child to have been used in this situation.”

Reporting a child missing added a “level of intensity” to the search that was unwarranted, according to Smith.

“That’s not the way to get a stolen vehicle back,” Smith said.

He advised people who have a vehicle stolen to call police and file a report. He declined to comment on the nature of the vehicle theft, which was still under investigation.

UPDATE (12:45 p.m.)—A missing 2-year-old has been found, and the story surrounding his disappearance appears to be a hoax, according to Baltimore Police.

Officials said at 12:42 p.m. that King Silver was located unharmed.

”Story appears to be hoax,” police said of the circumstances surrounding his alleged disappearance. Officials said additional details would be coming shortly.

Previous Report

Police in Baltimore are asking the public for help finding a stolen vehicle and a missing boy.

At 10:20 a.m. on Friday, a woman parked her car in the 1300 block of Harlem Avenue, leaving her keys in the ignition and the engine running, according to police.

After leaving the vehicle briefly, she returned to see a man she didn’t know getting into the car and driving away, Baltimore Police reported.

The woman’s 2-year-old son—King Silver—was inside the car, police said.

King Silver was last seen wearing a pink shirt, blue jacket and black pants, according to police.

The vehicle is described as a white 2008 Mazda 6 with a tag that reads “5CD0004.”

The white Mazda was last seen heading west on Harlem Avenue, according to police.

Have you seen the vehicle or King Silver? Police ask that you call 911.

Photos courtesy of the Baltimore Police.