Woman Drives Away, Leaving Behind Boy, 4, in Church Lot

A 4-year-old boy was apparently abandoned Saturday morning in a Fountain Valley church parking lot by a well-dressed woman driving a late model Peugeot sedan, police said.

The boy, who showed no signs of abuse or neglect, said his name is “Jonas,” according to police. He was abandoned at about 8:40 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, 17415 Magnolia Ave., where three custodians and a minster were setting up tables and chairs for a Mother’s Day function in the church patio.

“The young lady we assume was the child’s mother or someone taking care of the child came onto the property . . . for a while,” First Baptist Church Pastor Chester Rice said. “She went back to the car and talked to the boy and got back into the car, then pulled out on Magnolia and went south.

“It just seemed as though he (the child) wasn’t paying any attention to her,” Rice said. “She just drove off unceremoniously.”

Police described the boy as 3 feet tall and weighing about 45 pounds, with short dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue T-shirt with light brown overalls, blue socks and black moccasins.

The woman who left the child behind was described as well-dressed, driving a newer model light gray Peugeot sedan. Rice said the woman had a “very slight build, about 90 to 100 pounds, about 5 feet tall (with) medium length, dark brown hair.”

She was dressed in a “normal housedress . . . light colored with a small flowered print,” he said.

Police said the child told them his name is “Jonas,” but that officers were unable to obtain any more information from him. Jonas was taken into protective custody and placed at the Orangewood Children’s Shelter, according to Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Jim Brokow.

Rice said the woman had walked through the church property with the boy and a small dog, perhaps a miniature collie or sheltie, but she did not return greetings from one of the men setting up tables on the patio.

No Sign of Distress

“She had been on the property a total of about 15 minutes or so,” Rice said. “I didn’t notice her talking to the boy until she was in the car ready to leave. She did speak to the dog to get him to come along.

“I don’t know if it was a half-baked kidnaping or a mother who abandoned her child. But I could see no sign of distress or uneasiness anywhere along the line. He was looking at another car as she drove away.”

Rice said he happened to see the woman drive away as he was walking to the parking lot area from the rear patio.

“He was not a bit afraid,” Rice said. “I asked him if his mommy was coming back and he said ‘Yes.’ But each time I would ask his name he would hold up four fingers.”

“He just had a full trust that whoever left him would come back and get him,” Rice said. “I waited about an hour and by then called the Police Department because I knew she wasn’t coming back.”

No Sign of Abuse

Jonas wore “normal little play clothes,” Rice said. “They were clean and in good shape with no sign of abuse or neglect. He was a very friendly little fella.

“He was fascinated by the police car. The policemen let him use the P.A. system to say goodby to us, then he went away.”

Rice said Jonas “had a little bit of a lisp” but “talked rather plainly.”

“He . . . said he lived in a big house,” Rice said. “I asked him if it was close by and he said ‘Yes.’ Each time I asked him his name, he would hold up four fingers.”

Police said they had no leads Saturday night.

When officers took the child into custody at the church, mothers and daughters were gathering for a Mother’s Day program.

“It was just mothers and daughters for an outside luncheon and program,” Rice said. “And one unknown son.”

“The policeman said . . . these things do happen more often than they like to think about.”