Where is Baby Dewees? Father of Palmdale baby who vanished charged with murder
The 24-year-old father of a missing infant in Southern California was charged Wednesday with murder in connection to his son's disappearance and presumed death.
Yusef Dewees stands charged with one count of murder, one count of assault on a child causing death, and one count of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death in connection to the death of his son, Baki, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.
Baki was less than a year old when he disappeared early last month and, as of Thursday, his body had not been recovered, prosecutors said.
The boy was born April 14, officials said, and reported missing by his grandmother on May 7.
According to information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the lead agency on the case, sometime between May 2 and May 3 Dewees allegedly killed his son in Palmdale, a city in northern LA.
After family reported the child missing, authorities searched a landfill in Antelope Valley not far from where the child is alleged to have been killed.
Police have not released a motive in the case or said how they believe Baki died.
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Baby's mother arrested on warrant for misdemeanor child abuse
In January, LA prosecutors filed a child abuse charge against the child's mother, 25-year-old Roselani Linda Gaoa, in connection to an alleged allegation involving her three children at the time.
But, the LA Times reported, on the day of her March arraignment, Gaoa called the court and said she moved to Ogden, Utah, a city about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City. A judge rescheduled Gaoa's hearing for April 5 then issued a bench warrant for her arrest when she failed to appear in court a second time.
Online records show Gaoa was arrested in Utah April 16 where she remained jailed without bond Thursday at the Webster County Jail on charges of child abuse causing injury, reckless child abuse causing injury and aggravated child abuse.
The Utah Division of Child and Family Services released the children into Dewees’ custody on April 17, the outlet reported, and Dewees and the children moved into their grandmother's Palmdale home.
The grandmother, Fiti Paulo, told officials she last saw Baki May 3 and reported the baby missing May 7.
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Palmdale father accused of killing missing infant son awaiting extradition from Utah
On Wednesday, Gascón said, The Los Angeles County Antelope Valley Court issued an extradition arrest warrant for the baby's father.
On Thursday, Dewees was in custody in Ogden awaiting extradition back to California, prosecutors reported.
It was not immediately known when he would be transported back to California. As of Thursday a court date had not yet been scheduled in the Los Angeles County court.
Prosecutors said they plan to ask a judge set his bail at $2 million when after he is extradited back to California.
If convicted of the alleged crimes, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
