Authorities believe a missing California newborn is dead, and his parents have now been arrested in Utah on unrelated charges. Baki Dewees was just 3 weeks old when he left a Palmdale home with his father, Yusuf Dewees, but he has not been seen since. Police are now searching for the infant’s body. His family is grieving the loss of a baby they barely knew.
The infant’s grandmother, Sofia Paulo, told Fox 11 everything seemed normal the last time she saw her grandson and his father and said she is holding out hope that Baki is alive and well. But, as the days roll on, the outcome is becoming more grim.
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The infant wasn’t even a month old.
A flyer was posted on Paulo's Facebook page in early May after Baki disappeared. The baby was born on April 14, and Paulo last saw him at her home with his father on May 3. Dewees was arrested in Utah, a few days later. The family begged anyone with information to contact police.
“Plssss share lord pls protect him and guide him in your loving arms,lets your blood cover him and protect him please lord,” the post with the flyer reads.
Baki’s mother was reportedly arrested when he was 2 days old.
Twenty-five-year-old Rosealani Gaoa was arrested on April 16 in Ogden, Utah, on charges of aggravated child abuse, intentional child abuse, and reckless child abuse, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Omar Camacho told the newspaper that the charges stemmed from allegations of abuse against one of her other three children, not Baki. That child was taken into the custody of child welfare officials. At the time of her arrest, Gaoa was living in Utah with Dewees and the couple’s four children.
Dewees allegedly took off to California after Gaoa’s arrest.
Per the LA Times, the father left Utah with three children, including Baki, shortly after Gaoa’s arrest and returned to Palmdale, California.
Paulo told NBC Los Angeles that Dewees returned to Palmdale on April 19 and moved into a shelter in early May.
She said she contacted the shelter to check on Baki and was reportedly told he was not there. That is when she filed a missing person report.
Dewees returned to Utah.
The father went back to Utah and spoke with police, according to reports, including one from NBC Los Angeles. The news outlet reported that he was arrested on May 7 on charges related to suspicion of obstruction of justice and making a false statement to be used at a preliminary hearing.
Camacho confirmed to the LA Times that Dewees is considered a suspect but said neither parent has been charged in Baki’s death.
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The search for baby Baki continues.
Police have not revealed why they believe Baki is dead or what caused his death, but they are reportedly searching for his body in a landfill in the Antelope Valley. Camacho told the LA Times that investigators are looking for “specific things.”
He said it is a difficult mission and that using cadaver dogs and machinery is not an option at this time. “The only way possible at times is just with human hands,” he explained.
Both parents are being held in Utah. It was unclear when they will appear in court.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
