MEMPHIS, Tenn. (abc24.com) - The father of a missing 3-year-old Memphis boy is sitting behind bars. Evidence shows that the child could have been seriously injured or even killed.
Police said the boy's father told them he fell asleep at their home on S. Pauline Street near Peabody Avenue and woke up Sunday at around 10:30 p.m. to discover Maurice Brown, Jr. was missing. The father is also an admitted gang member and told police his son's disappearance could be related to his gang affiliation.
"You don't want to hear anything like that. I hope no gang member got his child," said their next-door neighbor, Sharon Toole. She said whoever has him must know him. "He's a shy baby. He doesn't talk to strangers. I can't even get him to talk to me and I live right next door."
Maurice Brown was later booked at the Shelby County Jail just before 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 2 for Aggravated Child Neglect. According to the affidavit, a witness saw the father leaving his apartment with a child draped over his shoulder. Police searched the apartment and found blood all over the bathroom consistent with blunt force trauma.
The child has not been found, but investigators believe he suffered serious bodily injury.
Maurice Brown Jr. is 3’, 35 lbs, medium complexion, with a low hair cut. He was last seen wearing a blue Batman shirt and blue jeans. Investigators and officers are continuing to search for the boy and will continue to search until the child is located.
