Retarded Youngster’s Identity Still a Mystery : Abandoned Boy to Get Special Training

A crippled, mentally retarded boy abandoned this month near Saugus was placed Wednesday in a special-care center for children.

The boy, who appears to be 8 to 10 years old, was found June 8 in front of a home for mentally disabled adults. Since then, he had been staying in a cottage with other children at Los Angeles County’s MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte.

The child, now in a “Los Angeles-area” center for disabled children, was placed there by the North Los Angeles County Regional Center, a private corporation that receives state funds to care for people with “developmental disabilities,” said Ann Baerwald, an associate director of the organization.

Privacy Protected

Mary Hayes, assistant director of the MacLaren center, said the name and location of the boy’s new home were not being disclosed to protect his privacy.

“Every effort is going to be made to help the child do as much for himself as he can,” Baerwald said. “With some very structured training, he will be able to progress.”

Unless authorities find his family, the boy could remain under the care of the Regional Center system for the rest of his life, Baerwald said.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Detective Dennis Carroll said investigators still have no idea who the child is, but have not given up hope of locating his family.

“Certainly you would have a much better outlook if you were with your parents or your family rather than being institutionalized,” Carroll said. “It’s just like discarding something, only this is a human being.

“Hopefully, the parents or guardians are going to have a conscience and come forth, so at least we’ll be able to give this child a name. . . . Then he would have his own identity rather than just being an anonymous John Doe.”

Evaluations

Psychiatric and medical evaluations of the boy have determined that he functions at the level of a child from 1 year old to 18 months old, Hayes said.

She said the boy, during his stay at MacLaren, needed constant attention when awake, was unable to stand because of leg deformities and bit his left arm when frustrated.

But health professionals are not certain of the boy’s abilities because his past is unknown, said Helen Maxwell, director at MacLaren.

“So many pieces of the child’s life we don’t have,” she said.

“J.D.” or “John,” as he was known at the center, did not speak but clapped his hands and laughed when pleased, Hayes said. He also appeared able to learn, she said.

For example, he drank liquids from a bottle when he first arrived but later drank from a cup with a little assistance, she said.

“There may be a lot of things he can learn,” Hayes said. “We’re just not sure.”

Evoked Affection

Other children at MacLaren Children’s Center became protective of the boy during his stay there, and the staff felt a tremendous amount of empathy for him, she said.

“You couldn’t help but be touched by this child,” Hayes said. “All you have to do is look at his face.”

The boy, Latino in appearance, about four feet tall and weighing 50 pounds, was abandoned in front of Jewell Trumbo’s Welcome Home in Canyon Country.

Authorities said he had been well cared for. His teeth were in perfect condition; his hair was groomed, and there was no diaper rash.

Sheriff’s investigators believe the boy was born March 19, 1978, because of what appeared to be a date, 19/3/78, etched on the back of a gold medal around his neck.

Authorities have distributed across California and Mexico thousands of flyers with a photograph of the boy and plan to send some to the East Coast as well, he said. Either no one in the Los Angeles area knows the boy or they are remaining silent to protect his family, Carroll said.

“It looks more and more like the child was brought in from out of the country or from out of state,” Carroll said. “That may be the reason why we’re not getting any calls on it.

“There’s still a lot of investigating to do,” he said.