St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office books two family members after toddler found wandering alone in eastern St. Bernard neighborhood

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office has booked two family members after a toddler was found wandering alone in an eastern St. Bernard Parish neighborhood in the middle of the night on July 15, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Malik Evans, 17, of the 2300 block of Centanni Drive in eastern St. Bernard, was booked with child endangerment after his 3-year-old nephew who was left in his care wandered out of the house and was found walking alone several blocks away in the 2800 block of Farmsite Road in Violet.

The toddler’s mother, Aaliyah Evans, 22, of the 2300 block of Centanni Drive, was at work at the time of the incident, and has not been booked in the case. However, she was booked on an unrelated outstanding warrant out of St. Bernard for theft.

On July 15 shortly after 2 a.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, deputies responded to a call about a small child being seen walking alone on Farmsite Road.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the 3-year-old walking barefoot and alone. Sheriff Pohlmann said deputies searched the area for several hours in an effort to locate the boy’s family, but to no avail.

The mother called the Sheriff’s Office shortly after noon when she got off work and saw a Facebook post about detectives searching for the boy’s family.

The boy is now in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services which is conducting its own investigation.