Help Sought in Finding Parents of Young Boy : Unidentified: Passer-by found the tyke sitting on curb at a downtown intersection on Feb. 26.

The public’s help has been requested in helping find the parents of a young boy who was found crying and sitting on a curb in downtown San Diego on Feb. 26.

At a press conference at the San Diego County Department of Social Services, the 25-pound, 30-inch-tall boy sat on a table in front of department employees. He was dressed in a black shirt and dark sweat pants, and showed no signs of physical abuse as he played with a green and yellow toy truck while smiling and posing for the media.

He has been nicknamed Kiki because when he was first interviewed by social workers he repeatedly said something that sounded like that, said Joe Maciel of the social services department.

Social workers believe that the boy is an Indian or a Latino. He only responds to questions in Spanish.

“Como te llamas” Maciel said, asking the boy his name.

The child turned his head toward Maciel and replied, saying what sounded like the letter “e.”

When Maciel asked him where his mother was, the boy pointed with his right hand at no one in particular. Maciel said that the boy typically points that right hand when asked about his mother. However, he said that the boy does not respond when asked about brothers and sisters.

About 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 26, Phyllis Bothwell found the boy sitting on the curb at 12th and Market streets and went to several nearby houses in an unsuccessful attempt to find his parents. She then took him to police, who turned him over to social service employees.

The U.S. consulate in Tijuana, the Mexican consulate in San Diego and a missing-persons agency for undocumented workers in Los Angeles have been contacted regarding the boy, said John Anderson, a social services department supervisor.

There have been two cases of parents of abandoned children being found in Los Angeles, said Yolanda Thomas, a social services department spokeswoman. They were undocumented workers from Mexico who were separated from their children after crossing the border, she said. Because they had no family connections in San Diego, the family had no idea where the children were until news reports were broadcast in Los Angeles, and relatives there contacted the department.

Except for one case in the last five or six years, the parents of abandoned children have been found, Thomas said.

On March 1, a hearing was held in Juvenile Court to declare Kiki a dependent of the court so he could be placed with foster parents, Anderson said.

After Kiki was placed with a family in San Diego, his foster mother told social workers that the boy’s physical characteristics indicate that he may be Indian because, and that he may be older than 2 because of his behavior patterns. The foster mother also said that the boy’s arms and legs appear to be shorter than normal.

Thomas said county officials should have a better idea about the boy’s age next week after a medical evaluation is conducted at Children’s Hospital.

Anderson said the social services department waited before alerting the media to the boy’s plight because there have been similar cases where children were separated from parents and the parents came forward a few days later.

The boy’s case will be reviewed by a court in six months and if his parents still have not been found, steps will be taken to put him up for adoption.

If the parents are located and it is determined that the child was abandoned without reason, the case will be turned over to police for prosecution, Anderson said. But, if the parents have a good explanation for leaving the child, then social workers will work out plans to reunite him with his family, Anderson said.

“Our main concern is that the children are not abused or neglected,” Thomas said. “We don’t care if the parents are undocumented. We are not a law enforcement agency.”

Anyone with information about the boy or his relatives can call the Child Abuse Hotline at 560-2191.