The Atlanta toddler reported missing by his mother was found safe Thursday night, according to police. But it wasn’t immediately known where the child had been for the past 11 days.
“Malachi Burley has been located and is safe,” Officer John Chafee with Atlanta police said in an emailed alert.
Details regarding where the toddler was found were not immediately released and remain under investigation, Chafee said. But no criminal charges are expected to be filed, police said late Thursday.
The boy’s mother, Laquanda Burley, told Atlanta police Wednesday that she gave her son to a woman she knew only as “Sylvia” at the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station on Nov. 26, police said. “Sylvia” was supposed to babysit Malachi, who turns 2 years old Jan. 1, for a week, Burley said.
“Ms. Burley stated that Sylvia had called her because Sylvia wanted to take Malachi for a week and take him Christmas shopping,” the police report states. “Ms. Burley stated that she had been overwhelmed and thought it would be OK to give Malachi to Sylvia to watch for a week.”
But Burley said she hadn’t heard from the woman again, despite her calls and text messages, according to police.
Burley was unable to provide any additional information on the woman, such as a phone number or physical address, police spokeswoman Kim Jones said. But the mother told police Sylvia had previously lived at a homeless shelter and at another location near the H.E. Holmes MARTA station, the incident report states.
On Thursday, police identified “Sylvia” as 26-year-old Sylvia Franklin and asked for the public’s help in finding the woman and the boy.
After interviewing the women, investigators determined no charges would be filed.
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