Mildred Chestnut, left, and Brandon Augustine appear on a wanted poster. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)
A baby boy was recently abandoned and his parents are on the run, according to North Carolina police.
And now a nationwide manhunt is underway.
Brandon Augustine, 24, and Mildred Chestnut, 23, are charged with intentional child abuse causing serious injury, according to a news release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating the couple after their 4-month-old son was left alone in a Charlotte hospital while receiving treatment for what parents said were injuries from a car accident minor in March.
According to the police, the child suffers from “serious injuries which change his life”.
Police were alerted to the boy’s injuries on March 20, the news release said. According to police, however, detectives determined that the child’s injuries were “not consistent” with a minor car accident.
“After further investigation, warrants were signed on March 21,” the press release said. “Chestnut and Augustine were reported missing by family members around the same time the police investigation began.”
Since March 21, the CMPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team has been searching unsuccessfully for Augustine and Chestnut, the department said. Police believe the two suspects are likely no longer in Tarheel State.
“A vehicle belonging to them was found in Austell, Georgia on March 21 after it had been intentionally abandoned and hidden,” the CMPD said. “Detectives believe the couple received assistance including money, shelter and transportation.”
Austell is 262 miles southwest of Charlotte and about 17 miles outside of Atlanta.
Police also warned anyone planning to provide the wanted couple with funds, accommodation or transportation.
“Anyone with knowledge of this matter who provided assistance to Chestnut and Augustine is subject to criminal charges, including aiding and abetting and accessory after the fact to a crime,” police said.
Augustine’s mother recently spoke with Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC about the case and her son’s whereabouts. She independently filed a missing persons report on him and his fiancée.
“It’s the longest I haven’t heard from him in his entire life,” Dianne Augustine told the TV station.
“I’m afraid this will be the last time,” she told WCNC after the missing person’s report was filed on March 23.
At the time, however, Dianne Augustine was unaware of the criminal investigation.
“[CMPD] kept me in the dark about everything because they were watching family,” she told WCNC. The police department told the television station that the boy’s grandmother was not a person of interest.
“Do the right thing,” Dianne Augustine begged her son. “Please? Like, just so everyone knows you’re okay. And you can handle what you’re supposed to handle in the right way.
A request for assistance at the end of the police press release says:
Anyone with knowledge of Chestnut and Augustine’s whereabouts is asked to call CMPD Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/. All advice remains anonymous. For more information on this case, please refer to reports: 20230320-1435-05 (child abuse) & 20230320-1213-01 (missing persons).
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