Aug 18, 2008 11:19 pm US/Eastern
Boy, 5, Missing; Father Charged With Disappearance
LYNN (WBZ) ―
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Giovanni Gonzalez, 5, was last seen in the area of 2 Brightwood Terrace around 4 p.m. on Aug. 15.
WBZ
Police are looking for a young boy who has been missing since Friday.
Giovanni Gonzalez, 5, was last seen in the area of 2 Brightwood Terrace around 4 p.m. on Aug. 15.
According to police, a missing persons report was filed by Giovanni's mother, Daisy Colon, of East Boston on Sunday. She told police she dropped her son off to his father, Ernesto Gonzalez, 36, at his Brightwood Terrace apartment in Lynn Friday afternoon.
When she went to pick her son up, no one was answered the door. Colon then called police who entered the home and found the Gonzalez alone in the apartment.
Gonzalez was arrested on Monday and charged with child endangerment in connection with Giovanni's disappearance. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail.
According to police, despite Ernesto's arrest, Giovanni's whereabouts remain unknown.
Police have been in Gonzalez' apartment since Sunday night, searching for clues that may help them find Gionvanni. Neighbor Paul King tells WBZ's Karen Anderson that police have been checking dumpsters, going house to house and checking basements in Lynn.
"He is the sweetest little thing you would want to be around," said Desiree Padro, Colon's neighbor. "It's just heartbreaking to know a parent is missing her child... All of our hearts are breaking because he is a sweet, innocent child."
"We just want him home," said Susan McCarthy, a friend of Colon. "That's it. We just want him home with his mother."
Tracey Contreras, talked about her cousin, Gonzalez, after learning of his arrest. "He's a good guy. He does have previous children from other women, and nothing like this ever went down… This is just out of the blue. Everyone has their problems. We never thought it would come to this… (Giovanni) was an awesome little boy… very lovable."
Police say Gonzalez is not cooperating with them. Officials also mentioned Gonzalez has a cut on his left hand and is not telling police how he got it.
Giovanni weighs approximately 40 pounds and is 4 feet 1 inch tall with black hair and brown eyes.
When last seen, he was wearing blue denim jeans, a red T-shirt, a silver braided chain and black Spiderman sandals. He was carrying a black backpack that had the Transformers robot characters on it and which contained some of his clothes and toys. He has a faded skin pigmentation mark on the lower right side of his chest and a small scar above his eyebrow.
Police have talked to witnesses who claim they saw Gonzalez with a child over the weekend. Anyone with information about this little boy is asked to call Lynn police at 781.595.2000.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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