Just hours after a young boy was found on a stranger’s porch sleeping in a box meant for stray cats, a burned car with remains inside of it was located just a mile away.
Buffalo, New York police are still looking for the child’s parents. They have yet to say if both of the discoveries are connected.
According to WKBW, Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo described the investigation as a “very, very complicated case.” Rinaldo also said that the child’s parents, 24-year-old Nicole Mersed and 31-year-old Miguel Valentin, have yet to be found and have not made contact with other family members since 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 15.
As The Buffalo News reports, a family friend is also missing and is believed to have been with Nicole and Miguel in New York. The friend has been identified as 29-year-old Dhamyl Mirella Roman-Audiffred.
Breaking: the boy’s grandmother tells me these are his parents. The family hasn’t had contact with them since 6p Sunday. They are 24-year-old Nicole Mersed and 31-year-old Migel Valentin. Their son, Noelvin was found sleeping on a stranger’s porch Monday morning. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/2Eiq3wUNAk
— Ali Touhey (@Ali2e) September 17, 2019
Reporter Ali Touhey also revealed on Twitter that after talking with members of the boy’s family, he and his parents were reportedly in Buffalo on vacation. The family “primarily lives in Orlando [Florida].”
The child’s paternal grandparents, who have traveled to New York from Florida, are said to be working closely with law enforcement. They hope to take custody of their grandchild if need be. However, the grandmother’s initial request for custody was reportedly temporarily denied on September 16.
As The Buffalo News reports, the last known person to talk with Miguel was his sister. According to Miguel’s mom, Zenaida Colon, his sister described the conversation as “normal.” However, the sister expressed worry after she didn’t hear from her brother after that.
It was when the sister started scouring social media for evidence that Miguel and his family were okay that she found reports about their son being found.
JUST IN: Zenaida Colin says she was temporarily denied custody of her grandson, 3 y/o Noelvin. He is the little boy found on a strangers porch Monday morning. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/LRHxx2ljwe
— Ali Touhey (@Ali2e) September 17, 2019
The grandmother has since identified the 3-year-old boy as Noelvin. She said of Miguel and Nicole:
“They are just regular parents. Great parents.”
Now police are asking anyone with information regarding Nicole and Miguel’s whereabouts to call their homicide unit at 716-851-4466.
As WKBW reports, police are still attempting to identify the remains that were found in the burning vehicle. Authorities also say the car was so badly burned that they are still trying to identify the make and model of the car.
And while the police are not linking the two discoveries together, the woman who found Noelvin sleeping on her porch around 7:30 a.m. on September 16 told WKBW that the child repeatedly talked about a car being on fire.
The homeowner, Lois Augsburger, said:
“I said where’s your mommy, honey? He said ‘the car’s on fire.’ That’s all he kept saying.”
The Buffalo News reports that Noelvin was in good health after being found.