A truck driver discovered a one-year-old baby alive in a ditch along Louisiana's I-10, a day after his 4-year-old brother was found dead near the same highway. Authorities believe the children were abandoned during the onslaught of Hurricane Beryl, which battered the western Gulf Coast region with heavy rain and high winds.
The children's mother, Aaliyah Jack, was arrested in Mississippi and faces charges including second-degree murder, cruelty to a minor, and failing to report a missing child. The one-year-old boy, deemed a 'miracle baby' by Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory, spent two days outdoors before being rescued by truck driver Reginald Walton.
The investigation began when the body of the 4-year-old boy was discovered floating in water behind an I-10 rest area in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The boy was last seen with his mother and younger brother on Saturday. Jack was later found in Mississippi without the one-year-old, leading to her arrest.
Walton, who found the one-year-old, initially thought he saw a doll but quickly realized it was a baby. He stopped his truck and called 911, saving the child who was taken to a hospital and later turned over to the state Department of Children and Family Services.
The children's grandmother, Conswella Jack, expressed her grief and confusion over the tragedy. She had an agreement with her daughter to care for the children and is now seeking custody of her surviving grandson. The investigation continues to determine the exact circumstances of the abandonment and the 4-year-old's death.
- The Sheriff's Office has not disclosed whether investigators know precisely when the children were abandoned. The body of the 4-year-old is set to be autopsied to determine the cause of death.
- Sheriff Guillory praised Walton for his actions, stating that the truck driver was in the right place at the right time. Walton, however, humbly attributed the rescue to divine intervention.
- Conswella Jack, who moved to Lake Charles following the incident, remains in constant contact with child protective services to get updates on her surviving grandson. She described her 4-year-old grandson as an 'amazing kid' and expressed sorrow over his untimely death.
