COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Central Ohio police searching for a 14-month-old Maryland boy say his mother admitted leaving him on the front porch of a Columbus home days ago.

A missing-child alert says Cameron Beckford's mother abandoned him Friday night and is now in custody.

He was wearing a puffy black coat, gray pants, black and red boots and a gray elephant hat. Police say he's black with brown eyes and a Mohawk hairstyle.

The Columbus Dispatch reports police searched a park near a creek on the city's east side on Tuesday.

Police say the boy's father in Maryland said the mother took Cameron and a 6-year-old daughter to Ohio earlier this month, and he requested the welfare check that led to a vacant Columbus home. The girl also has been reported missing.

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