MI Father Charged After Abandoning Toddler In Locked Impounded Car: Prosecutor

DETROIT — A Detroit father has been charged after abandoning his 13-month-old child in a car that was later towed to an impound lot by police, according to the prosecutors.

Orlander Murnell Linson Jr., 35, was charged with second-degree child abuse and child abuse - leaving a child in a vehicle resulting in physical harm.

He was placed in jail with a $100,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for March 11.

Prosecutors said Linson left the child inside a vehicle that he parked in front of a home in the 20600 block of Damman Street in Harper Woods at about 3:30 a.m. last Friday.

The car remained in front of the home until 3:30 p.m. that day when officers were called about an abandoned car, prosecutors said.

Officers arrived and did not see anyone inside the car. Police added the car was locked and officers could not thoroughly look inside.

Officers towed the car as it was improperly parked on the prohibited side of the street and blocking a resident’s driveway, prosecutors said.

It was Saturday when the child's mother called Detroit police to report her missing child, prosecutors said.

Investigators reached out to Harper Woods police, believing the child may have still been inside the car when it was towed to an impound lot along Lexington Street in Eastpointe.

Officers went to the lot and found the crying toddler alive in the rear of the vehicle. The child was taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment and is expected to fully recover, police said.

"I don’t know what would possess a person to abandon a helpless 13-month-old in a car in winter weather," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. "The alleged actions of this defendant are truly disturbing."