A truck driver discovered a 1-year-old boy alive in a ditch off an interstate highway in Louisiana, a day after the boy's 4-year-old brother was found dead near the same freeway. Authorities suspect this was a case of abandonment during tropical storm conditions in the area.
The boys' mother, a Louisiana resident, has been arrested in Mississippi and faces murder and other charges for allegedly abandoning the children in Louisiana.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff praised the truck driver for spotting the child and stopping to rescue him. The 1-year-old had spent two days along Interstate 10, enduring Hurricane Beryl's impact on the region.
An investigation began when the 4-year-old boy's body was found behind a rest stop off I-10 in Calcasieu Parish. The boys were last seen with their mother, who was later found in Mississippi without the 1-year-old.
The truck driver, Reginald Walton, noticed movement in the embankment and realized it was a baby. He stopped his truck and found the 1-year-old, who was later identified as the missing child.
The 1-year-old was taken to a hospital and then released to the state Department of Children and Family Services. The mother has been charged with second-degree murder, cruelty to a juvenile, and failure to report a missing child.
The grandmother of the children expressed shock and grief over the incident, hoping to reunite with her surviving grandson soon.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the children and the tragic death of the 4-year-old boy.
