Melvin Duclos -- Found Alive

Newborn Abducted from Jacksonville Home by Fake DCF Worker

March 2, 2010 11:14 PM

Breaking News out of Southwest Jacksonville: A three week old baby boy has been abducted from his home by someone posing as a DCF worker. Chief Rick Graham with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says the parents thought something was suspicious when a woman was following them around Shands Hospital around 12:45 on Tuesday afternoon.

"They got home around 4:45. And immediately as they went into the house, the lady that they had saw at Shands followed them up to their house, identified herself as being a person working with DCF (the Division of Children and Family Services). Convinced the mother that there was an ongoing investigation, and at some point convinced the mother to turn the child over to the lady purporting herself to be a DCF worker," says Chief Rick Graham.

The mother later contacted police after growing more concerned and DCF said they could not identify the woman who claimed she was a DCF worker.

Police have now swarmed the child's neighborhood in the 6200 Block of North Ironside Drive as they search for a black woman in her early 20s, 5-feet tall with shoulder length hair, tight blue jeans, a silver stud in her nose, grey and black shirt, and last seen driving a dark-colored Honda Accord.

VICTIM: Melvin Duclos - Black male, 30 days old, 1 foot 08 inches tall, 9 pounds, black hair, brown eyes, last seen in the area of North Ironside Dr. in Jacksonville. Melvin was last seen wearing a cream colored or light yellow onesie with a flower on front and a blue tee shirt.

Anyone with any information in regards to the abducted baby, suspect, or vehicle is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS to remain anonymous and receive a possible reward. We'll continue to follow this breaking news on WOKV and WOKV.com

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/03/newborn-abducted-from-jacksonv.html

Jacksonville police seek 3-week-old Melvin Duclos, reported taken by DCF imposter
Statewide Amber Alert issued late Tuesday night

A woman posing as a state child-protective worker abducted a 3-week-old baby boy from a Westside Jacksonville home Tuesday afternoon, police said.

A statewide Amber Alert was posted just after midnight for the child, Melvin Duclos. He was wearing a light-colored onesie with a flower on front and a blue T-shirt when he was taken.The link for the flier is: http://bit.ly/MelvinDuclos

Police were looking for a 5-foot, 160-pound black woman, age 20 to 22, who took the baby about 4:45 p.m. from a home on Ironside Drive, a looping road of ranch homes west of Blanding Boulevard a couple of miles north of Interstate 295.

The home, which is located in the Villages @ Westland subdivision, is owned by Augustin Duclos, according to records from the Duval County Property Appraiser's Office.

The woman, described as having shoulder-length hair and wearing tight jeans and a black t-shirt with a silver nose piercing, left in a dark Honda Accord, police said.

The woman saw the baby and her family at Shands Jacksonville about 12:45 p.m. and began following them, Sheriff's Office Chief Rick Graham told reporters late Tuesday night. The hospital visit was for a checkup of the baby's mother, Sheriff John Rutherford said early today.

After the family returned home, the woman came to their door and identified herself as an employee of the Department of Children and Families, authorities said.

The woman told the family she was conducting an investigation, Graham said. He said the woman had something she presented as identification or credentials, but wouldn't elaborate.

The family handed the child over to the woman but became suspicious and called police a couple hours later.

Children and Families officials searched a database of employee names and found no match for a name the woman used, agency spokesman John Harrell said.

Harrell said the family didn’t appear to have any prior history of DCF involvement, which would make them less familiar with the agency’s routines.

He said a legitimate agency worker would not take custody of a child on the spot unless it was a matter of imminent danger. He said people can confirm a DCF employee’s identification by phoning a statewide information number — 800-96-ABUSE.

"We're very alarmed, very concerned that someone would just walk up to someone's home, identify themselves as a DCF employee and walk off with a child," Harrell said.

The abduction echoed elements of the 1998 kidnapping of Kamiyah Mobley, an infant taken from Shands, then called University Medical Center, by a woman dressed in scrubs. That case has never been solved.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-03-02/story/jacksonville_police_seek_3_week_old_melvin_duclos_reported_taken_by_dcf_

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will hold a news conference at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning to provide new information in the search for 3-week old Melvin Duclos.

I wonder why the mother would so easily turn her son over to a stranger at her door? I hope there is a good outcome on this one and he's found safe.

Breaking news....little Melvin has been found...ALIVE....Perps arrested...JAcksonville news conference on TV now...

o wow estee - that's wonderful news!!!
Please always call 911 or the 800-96-ABUSE to verify the person's credentials before turning your child over to a stranger, even if they show credentials - a legitmate DCF employee would be glad to allow you to double check before handing over your child!!!

Estee wrote:Breaking news....little Melvin has been found...ALIVE....Perps arrested...JAcksonville news conference on TV now...

That's great news!!!!

That is wonderful news. I had a feeling that he might still be alive because people don't normally kidnap 3-week-old babies just to kill them. It seems like babies that small are usually kidnapped to either be raised by the kidnapper or sold.

I agree J4A, those usually are the safest kidnap victims.

Mother, Aunts in Court with Jacksonville Woman Accused in Duclos Kidnapping

Ann Butler Dave Wax Created: 3/4/2010 10:44:23 AM Updated: 3/4/2010 12:32:49 PM




JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- No bond was set for a woman accused of posing as a state welfare worker and kidnapping a 1-month-old boy when she appeared in court this morning.

The mother and two aunts of Jasmine White, 19, of Jacksonville, were in a courtroom this morning during her first appearance before Duval County Court Judge Kevin Blazs.

Her mother did not speak, but the aunts both said that their niece had had at least two miscarriages and needed help.

They recently gave White a baby shower and had every reason to believe that she was pregnant, they said.

"She was eating and sleeping and showing," said one of the aunts.

Both said White led them to think the baby was a girl so they were surprised when she appeared at home with a boy. White told them she had been out of town and had the baby there.

"Just help the young lady. She needs help," said another aunt after the proceedings this morning.

White faces felony charges of kidnapping, fraudulent use of personal identification information and interference with custody, according to court papers filed Wednesday. The baby, Melvin Duclos was returned to his parents Wednesday morning, a little less than a day after he was taken.

The bond for the interference charge is $50,000 and there is no bond for the kidnapping charge.

An arrest report said when police found her with Melvin Wednesday morning, she gave them "several different versions of why she was in custody of the victim."

"The suspect had identified the victim as her daughter (victim is male) and then advised the victim's parents had asked her to watch the victim," the report said.

Eventually White, who listed A. Philip Randolph Academy in Jacksonville as the last school she attended, admitted she took the baby "under false pretenses," the report said.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=152776&catid=3