A 4-year-old boy who disappeared for days in rural Alabama will not be given back to his birth family, police said.
According to Barbour County Sheriff Tyron Smith, Phenix Wilkerson was discharged from Southeast Health in Dothan on Wednesday, in good condition. WDHN reports that he wasn’t returned to his parents, and instead, the Alabama Department of Human Resources implemented a care plan due to perceived risks to the child’s well-being.
Under the current care plan, Phenix’s parents are not permitted unsupervised visits. Sheriff Smith disclosed to WDHN that an ongoing investigation into Phenix’s brief disappearance is in progress, and there is a possibility of charges being filed against the parents.
“We have a lot of questions that still need to be answered,” Smith reportedly said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the child’s mother, Shyanne Ray, said she visited her mother’s residence nearby and left her son, who was sleeping at the time, with a friend. When Shyanne returned, she couldn’t find him
“I came back up here and saw that the door was open. I ran in there, and he wasn’t there so I looked everywhere around the house for him and did not see him,” Shyanne told WTVY-TV.
After searching, Shyanne contacted police, prompting the community to come together to look for the boy. Law enforcement and volunteers have teamed up in the search, and found him in rural Barbour County, wearing no shoes, two days after his disappearance.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
