Florida couple caught in North Carolina after denying baby existed

A Florida couple who claimed their missing baby never existed was arrested in North Carolina after a year-long investigation into the child’s presumed death.

Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, both of Hollywood, Florida. and Samantha Feliz, 20, were arrested Wednesday in Rockingham, North Carolina; where investigators say they fled while Hollywood police were investigating their baby’s disappearance.

The two were taken into custody by investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service and booked into the Richmond County Jail on fugitive warrants. They are being held without bail pending extradition to Florida.

Hollywood police began investigating the case in early 2025 after learning that Feliz allegedly gave birth between Dec. 6, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

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Authorities said the birth was hidden and took place outside the hospital.

Investigators said family members saw the couple with the baby during the child’s first month of life. After that, the baby was never seen again, authorities said.

According to an arrest The order received by WPLG, investigators believe the child, identified only by the initials AF, was last photographed on January 5, 2025. Detectives wrote that the baby was “visibly ill and malnourished” and “showed no signs of life” in what they described as the last known photo.

The search warrant also alleges that investigators searched multiple locations where cadaver dogs were found but were unable to find the child’s remains, according to the outlet.

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Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals arrested the Florida couple at a property near Rockingham, North Carolina. (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office – NC Facebook)

Authorities alleged that Alejandro and Feliz repeatedly denied the existence of the child, told relatives the baby was “a joke” and later claimed the pregnancy was a “hoax” to defraud family members, WPLG reported, citing the arrest warrant.

According to the press, investigators said that the photos showed Feliz was visibly pregnant, while the pregnancy and the baby were mentioned in the text messages.

Detectives also reportedly found baby clothes, a positive pregnancy test and blood-stained towels from a warehouse connected to the couple. DNA testing later determined that blood taken from the baby clothes and towels belonged to Alejandro and Feliz’s biological child, according to the arrest warrant.

Despite the lack of a birth certificate or medical record, investigators said they found enough evidence to charge both suspects with unintentional murder of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, failing to report a death to a medical examiner, providing false information regarding a missing child and making a false report to law enforcement.

Authorities allege the couple had fled Florida and was living at a property owned by one of Alejandro’s relatives in Richmond County when investigators found and arrested them on July 22.

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Hollywood, Florida is located on the Florida coast between Fort Lauderdale and Miami and is named after the showbiz town in California. (Photo via Getty Images)

Richmond County Sheriff Mark Gulledge praised the multi-agency effort that led to the arrests.

“This is an important example of institutions across the country collaborating to promote justice,” Gulledge said in a statement. he said.

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Authorities have not publicly released additional details about what investigators believe happened to the baby.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for additional updates on the investigation but did not immediately receive a response.