BALTIMORE (AP) - A 7-month-old Baltimore boy and the 16-year-old girl left in charge of the baby while his father went to the store were found Monday in Washington, more than two days after they disappeared, police said.
The baby, Ki'Yauhn Birch, and the teenager were found after someone called authorities to report seeing the teen at a bus stop in the northeastern part of the city, said Officer Anthony Clay, a D.C. police spokesman.
Baltimore detectives confirmed the baby appeared to be in good health, but he was taken to an area hospital as a precaution. The teen, Jonae Boozer, is in police custody, said Detective Kevin Brown, a Baltimore police spokesman. Authorities interviewed Boozer and will work with prosecutors to determine whether any charges will be brought in the case.
More than 70 people rallied Sunday evening calling for the infant's safe return. The boy's mother, 20-year-old Whitney McGee, was relieved to have her son back Monday afternoon, but still didn't understand why the teen left with the child.
"They say he was happy the whole time," McGee said. "She didn't do any harm to him."
The baby's father, Charles Birch, said Boozer was a friend of a friend. He said that the teen stopped by his west Baltimore home and asked for a cigarette, and that he left her with the baby while he went to buy some.
"I went to get cigarettes, and my son's gone," he told The Baltimore Sun. The baby's belongings and a bottle the infant hadn't finished were left behind, Birch said. He didn't know how to reach Boozer and said he called police Saturday morning.