VINTON, Louisiana – A woman has been arrested in Mississippi following the discovery of her 4-year-old son’s lifeless body and her 1-year-old son crawling in a ditch, both of whom were found across state lines.
Aaliyah Jack, a 25-year-old resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was apprehended at a train station in Mississippi as she attempted to flee the area, just hours after her son’s body was found. Authorities confirmed that the deceased child was a 4-year-old boy who showed no apparent signs of trauma.
The tragedy unfolded when deputies from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body floating in the water behind the Vinton Welcome Center, near the Texas-Louisiana border. Despite conducting checks with local and Texas agencies, no missing child reports matched the description of the deceased boy.
However, after a concerned family member reached out to investigators, expressing suspicions that the 4-year-old might be a relative, authorities were able to identify the child. It was determined that the child was last seen with his mother and brother on Saturday.
The 1-year-old child was discovered on Tuesday morning when a passerby on Interstate 10 spotted him crawling near mile marker 10 and promptly called 911.
Labeling the 1-year-old’s survival as miraculous, Sheriff Gary Guillory commended the quick actions of the passerby who spotted the child. Although the infant had spent two days exposed to the elements on the side of the highway, he was found in stable condition, with only a few insect bites.
Paramedics took the 1-year-old to a local hospital, where he was found to be sitting up and drinking water in the ambulance. He is currently under the care of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
Jack was taken into custody by the Meridian Police Department in Mississippi, separately from her youngest child. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed in the case.
The Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office is still awaiting the completion of the autopsy report for the deceased 4-year-old.