Editor’s note: The 6-year-old boy was found safe by police in Moncton, N.B. on Sunday, Oct. 30. Read more here.
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A six-year-old boy from Florida who’s been missing since late August could now be in New Brunswick, along with his father who’s accused of abducting him.
The boy was last seen on Aug. 27 at his residence in Miami. According to a release last month from the Miami-Dade Police Department, he was picked up that morning by his paternal grandmother “in accordance with a court time sharing order.”
It said the father, 45-year-old Jorge Gabriel Morales, failed to return the child, which violated the court order. The child’s mother then contacted the police to report the incident.
The boy, who is the subject of an Amber Alert in Florida, has been missing ever since. His father and grandmother, Lilliam Pena Morales, are wanted in connection with his disappearance and are facing charges of interference of custody and concealing a minor contrary to a court order.
According to the FBI, which is offering a $10,000 reward for the child’s safe return, they may be in Maine or eastern Canada.
The Miami-Dade Police Department and the FBI have declined to comment further on the case.
In a statement, New Brunswick RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Hans Ouellette confirmed the force is assisting the Miami-Dade Police Department with the search.
He said the New Brunswick RCMP shared the poster for the missing child on Sept. 14.
“The NB RCMP continue to request that the public call 911 if they see any of the individuals mentioned in the poster,” he said. “Police in Canada continue to monitor the situation, and we will update if there is more information that can be shared publicly.”
According to the RCMP post, the situation “does not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert message in our jurisdiction.”
Ouellette would not comment further on the case and did not answer any follow up questions.
Asked for comment, the Fredericton Police Force sent a statement nearly identical to Ouellette’s.
The U.S.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which is also investigating the boy’s disappearance, released video footage earlier this week which indicated the child was at a Walgreens store in Maine shortly after his disappearance.
Investigators now believe he is in eastern Canada, the centre said in a statement.
“Investigators say (his) father, 45-year-old Jorge Morales, had likely been planning for several months to disappear with his son along with JoJo’s paternal grandmother, 68-year-old Lilliam Pena Morales,” the statement said.
American media reports also indicate a vehicle and some of the child’s belongings were found in Maine, close to the international border, at the end of August. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Miami Field Office at (754) 703-2000, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.