Where Is Baby Baki? Parents Arrested as Police Search Utah Landfill for Missing Calif. Infant

Liam Quinn
·2 min read
1

Police have called the search for Baki Dewees a "death investigation"

<p>FOX11</p> Landfill search

FOX11

Landfill search

Authorities in Los Angeles are searching for the remains of an infant who was last seen in May, when he was three weeks old, as the baby’s parents sit in jail on unrelated charges.

Baki Dewees was born on April 14 and has been missing from Palmdale, Calif., since May 3, according to a flier shared on Facebook by his great aunt. She claims Baki was last seen with his father, Yusuf Dewees, who is currently in jail in Weber County, Utah. Jail records indicate that he is charged with obstruction of justice and making a false statement.

Meanwhile, Baki's mother, Roselani Gaoa, 25, is in custody on three charges, including aggravated child abuse. It is not immediately clear if either Gaoa or Dewees has entered a plea.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it is investigating the death of an infant in Palmdale, though did not identify the child in the release.

“During the early stages, the investigation transitioned from a missing child search to a death investigation,” the sheriff’s department said in an update.

The department added it was searching for the infant’s remains, and confirmed that the parents were both in jail on unrelated charges. The Los Angeles Times, Fox 11 and NBC Los Angeles report that authorities searched a landfill for the remains on Tuesday, May 14.

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NBC Los Angeles reports that Baki’s grandmother said the child was just a few days old when his mother was arrested on the child abuse charges.

Brad Parke, Baki’s grandfather, spoke to NBC Los Angeles.

"When the baby came up missing, that's when you know something is wrong,” Parke told the outlet. "We just want to know where the baby's at. Hoping that the baby's alive, praying that the baby's actually alive."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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