Both the woman and her child were reported missing on April 18 but only the child was discovered alive.
Both a woman and her child reported missing from Indiana were found in her car, but only the 5-month-old son was alive, according to local Indiana outlet WSBT.
Alexis Morales and her son, Messiah, were last seen on April 12 and reported missing on April 18, according to the outlet.
A Silver alert had not been put out sooner because Morales did not have a medical condition or mental disorder, and an AMBER Alert was not issued for the infant because he was believed to be with his mother, according to authorities.
Morales’ body and the baby were found inside a silver SUV in an alley on Monday night, according to the outlet.
“We were notified, responded, checked out the suspicious vehicle and found an image that none of us will be able to get out of our heads or minds forever,” South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski said to local outlet WSBT.
Previously, the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office was in charge of the missing persons case, but once Alexis' body was found, South Bend Police took over the case, according to authorities.
According to the local outlet, authorities have not shared details about the baby’s condition, but the chief believes he’s stable.
“When the officers arrived on scene, when they reached in and they found him alive. They immediately scooped him up, cared for him, gave him love, and got him to the hospital,” said Capt. Jason Biggs of the South Bend Police Department.
“Somebody knows, absolutely 100%, somebody knows. Matter of fact, I would bet my life that more than one person knows what happened,” said Ruszkowski to the outlet.
According to WSBT, an autopsy for the mother is scheduled for Friday, and Ruszkowski said detectives are questioning several people as suspects and witnesses and are working to put together a timeline to paint a clearer picture of how Morales died.
“I will tell you, I am confident that we will we will get resolved,” Ruszkowski said.
