Police have found the mother of a 5-year-old boy discovered alone and afraid in a South Los Angeles yard on Monday.
The boy, named Anthony or Antonio, was "quiet" and scared, and told police that his mother left on a bus. He was wearing an "Angry Birds" T-shirt and jeans when he was found, according to Los Angeles Police Department officials.
Earlier reports suggested the boy was wandering the streets by himself, but the people who found the boy said he was trapped behind a fence in a South LA yard.
The boy may have been thrown over a wall into the yard, abandoned with only his clothes and a towel, police said.
"I just picked him up and held onto him like he was one of my own," said Loretta Boyd, one of those who found the boy. "He kept saying, 'My head is hurting, my head is hurting.'"
He was crying for his mother so hard, he began to vomit.
"We didn't know what was going on," said David Boyd, who helped find the boy.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The mother, who may have mental health issues, was taken to the hospital for some type of medical emergency, and police deemed her not fit to care for herself or for the child. The Department of Child and Family Services took custody of the boy, who speaks Spanish, and some English, LAPD officials said.
Anyone with information can contact the LAPD's 77th Street Community Police Station at 213-485-4164.
More Southern California Stories:
