Police Identify Abandoned 3-Year-Old
Police have identified the 3-year-old boy abandoned at a Salt Lake City ShopKo store last weekend. Police say the child's name is Jonathan Jacob Corpus and he is from Reno, Nevada.
As CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports, the FBI in Reno, Nevada revealed a tip from someone who recognized the picture. They identified the boy and police are now looking for a man named Lyle Montgomery.
"We believe that he is a stepfather. There is some conflict as to whether or not the mother and he were legitimately married or not," says Chief Rick Dinse, Salt Lake City Police Department.
"Obviously it's emotionally devastating to not know where your mom is. And he keeps saying where's my mommy. I want my mommy," says Carol Sisco of the Utah Department of Human Services.
A person reportedly saw the child on a television news report and contacted Salt Lake police. They told police they knew the child and he was from Reno.
The 3-year-old boy was abandoned Saturday afternoon inside the ShopKo at 2290 South and 1300 East. Cameras showed a man put the boy in a shopping cart, handed him a toy and left the store.
ShopKo assistant manager Josh Newell said the child was calm when found inside the store. He said they paged for someone to pick up the boy but no one came. Then they checked the security cameras and saw the man who dropped the child in the toy department.
"Five minutes in the store, he walked to the toy department, walked right out of the store. It was unnerving to see that," Newell said.
The surveillance cameras show a stocky man walk into the store with the boy.
The child would only tell social workers his name is "Jacob" and he is three-years-old.
He also said his mom's name is either Janet or Jeanette. Jacob said she drives a black Jeep and likes basketball and hockey. He also talks about four sisters named Madison, Haley, Julie and Jenny who don't live with him. He also has a best friend named "R.J."
"He's really smart. In talking to him, he knows his numbers, he knows his colors all kinds of things. He's well educated," said Sisco.
Police also say the boy has made reference to his mother being hurt, the presence of a gun and meeting police.
Because of the child's age investigators aren't sure how long ago those incidents happened.
"It's a situation where he placed this boy in a store where he could be found and taken care of. He could have put him in a lot worse places. We're grateful the boy is safe," said Dwayne Baird, Salt Lake Police.
Police don't know where his mother is, whether she's involved, or whether she's safe. They say Lyle Montgomery has a history of domestic violence.
According to Whitaker, when or if Montgomery is apprehended, he could face criminal charges of child neglect and abandonment or even kidnapping.