Florida Couple Arrested Over Missing Infant Case

A couple from Florida, accused of claiming their missing infant never existed, has been arrested in North Carolina after a year-long investigation regarding the child’s presumed death.

Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Feliz, 20, from Hollywood, Florida, were taken into custody in Rockingham, North Carolina, where they had fled as police investigated the infant’s disappearance.

The arrests were made by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service, with both being booked into the Richmond County Jail on outstanding fugitive warrants. They are currently held without bail, awaiting extradition back to Florida.

The investigation began in early 2025 when authorities received information suggesting that Ferris had given birth sometime between December 6, 2024, and January 5, 2025. The birth allegedly occurred outside a hospital and was concealed.

A family member reportedly saw the couple with the baby when the infant was one month old, but the child was never seen again.

According to an arrest warrant, the last known photograph of the toddler, identified only by initials AF, was taken on January 5, 2025. Investigators noted the child appeared “visibly ill and malnourished,” and there were “no signs of life” in that image.

The warrant also indicated that investigators attempted to use the carcass of a dog to search various locations but were unable to locate the child’s body.

Both Alejandro and Feliz are accused of consistently denying their child’s existence, and they reportedly told family members that the baby was a “prank.” Later, they claimed the pregnancy was a “hoax” intended to defraud relatives out of money, according to reports citing arrest warrants.

Evidence collected showed Ferris visibly pregnant, and she discussed the pregnancy with others through text messages.

Detectives also found what seemed to be baby clothes, a positive pregnancy test, and a bloody towel in a storage unit connected to the couple. DNA tests later revealed that the blood on the baby items belonged to Alejandro and Feliz’s biological child.

Despite a lack of birth certificates and medical documentation, authorities believe they have sufficient evidence to charge both individuals with aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, failing to report a death to a coroner, providing false information regarding a missing child, and making false reports to law enforcement.

Authorities noted that the couple had fled Florida and were found living on property belonging to one of Alejandro’s relatives in Richmond County before their arrest on July 22.

Richmond County Sheriff Mark Gulledge commended the collaboration of various agencies that contributed to the arrests, stating, “This is a prime example of agencies across the country working together to protect justice.”

No additional details about what might have occurred to the infant have been disclosed by authorities.

Inquiries for further updates on the investigation were made to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, but no immediate response was received.