Abandoned car in Maine may be clue in case of Miami-Dade boy who vanished in August

An abandoned vehicle that turned up in Maine may provide a clue to the whereabouts of six-year-old Jorge “Jojo” Morales, who is the subject of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Amber Alert.

The FDLE reported Jorge, who is on the autism spectrum, vanished on Aug. 27, in Miami-Dade County. Detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said early Saturday morning that they were “aware” of the vehicle in Maine.

The U.S. Border Patrol found the vehicle in Littleton. According to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, a bear hunter found some personal items that detectives believe to be related to the case. A private investigator said the items belonged to Jorge.

Jorge’s mother, Yanet Leal Concepcion, told police officers through tears that she and her son’s father, Jorge Morales, had been involved in a custody battle. There is an arrest warrant out for Morales, 45, who detectives believe abducted his son and is with his 68-year-old mother, Lilliam Peña Morales.

Detectives are searching for Jorge Morales, who is accused of abducting his 6-year-old son in Miami-Dade County.

Detectives believe Jorge, his father, and his grandmother could be in Canada. Concepcion said Morales had been considering living off the grid and had been using only cash to pay for his expenses for about a year in preparation for that.

“I don’t want to think the worst,” Concepcion said on Saturday. “I am hoping that he has some regret in his heart.”

Detectives asked anyone with information about the case to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 or FDLE at 1-888-356-4774.

Border Patrol located the suspected vehicle on Foxcroft Rd in Littleton, Maine. (Maine State Police Department)Read More