A frightening chain of events stretching from Harper Woods to Detroit’s east side ended Saturday when police found a 13-month-old child alive inside a vehicle at an Eastpointe towing yard, according to authorities via WXYZ.
This happened at Woods Towing and Services in Eastpointe, where investigators say the toddler had been inside the vehicle for multiple days after the car had been left on a residential street in the Detroit metro area and later impounded.
Police said that while the child was crying when found, it is expected to make a full recovery. Child Protective Services is also now involved.
The Missing Baby Report That Started The Search
Detroit police said the child’s mother went to the Detroit Police Department’s 9th Precinct (on the city’s east side) to report her baby missing. It was this report that started the search.
After the missing-child report was made, a Detroit detective contacted officers in Harper Woods. They quickly learned that a vehicle connected to the child’s father had been towed earlier that day. With that information, investigators focused on the possibility the toddler was still inside the car.
By Saturday, a joint response involving Detroit detectives and Harper Woods officers brought police to the Eastpointe tow lot. Here they located the child in the back of the vehicle.
Debra Ruffin, neighbor to the family involved, was shocked when she found out about the child. “I was speechless. I had to calm down. I was driving when I got the information. I had to pull over and catch my breath,” she admitted.
“And the temperature was going up and down. That was the thing that ran across my mind… that poor infant, that poor baby.”
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Why the car was towed in the first place
The car had reportedly been sitting on Damman Street near I-94, parked awkwardly partly across a neighbors drive and clearly drawing attention. With the vehicle quickly reported, it was impounded on the Friday afternoon.
While the car had a child car seat, thanks to the vehicle being locked, the police were unable to search so towed it straight to the impound yard without carrying out further checks. Questions are now being asked about how a car with a baby inside managed to be impounded by officers without anyone noticing its crying.
Police said the child’s father is in custody and the case has been sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
