Missing Infant In 'Imminent Danger' Found Safe: Sheriff

MASTIC BEACH, NY — A year-old baby missing from Long Island and thought to be in "imminent danger" was found safe in North Carolina after an interstate search, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon said.

According to CBS Local, the child was last seen in Hempstead and it was initially thought that he might be in the Aquebogue area.

A warrant for arrest was issued in Suffolk County Family Court on Monday for the child’s mother, Kayla Smith, 32, and her ex-boyfriend, Levar Butts, 25, who is a New York State parolee, Toulon said.

Investigators worked with Suffolk deputies assigned to the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey regional fugitive team to track down the duo. Butts was located in Mastic Beach and taken into custody on Wednesday, Toulon said. Smith and her son were still not found, but information was received that led officials to believe she had left New York with the baby, Toulon said.

On Thursday, a missing child alert was issued, which allowed Suffolk County deputies to enlist additional federal resources and to work across state boundaries, Toulon said.

On Friday, with the assistance of the USMS, deputy sheriff Investigators tracked Smith to a trailer in Stoneville, NC, Toulon said. The child was turned over to the protective custody of the Rockingham County Department of Social Service and returned to New York, Toulon said.

Smith’s arrest charges are not extraditable, so she remained in North Carolina, Toulon said.

“The search for this infant, along with the other subjects, has been intensive," Toulon said. "I am proud of the excellent work our deputy sheriffs put into this investigation and I am thankful for the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service for their help in bringing this case to a successful conclusion.”