BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hours before a 3-year-old boy was found sleeping alone on a porch in Buffalo, New York, the rental car that his parents were driving was burned and human remains were found inside, police said.
The parents of the boy, 24-year-old Nicole Merced Plaud and 31-year-old Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon, as well as their friend, 29-year-old Dhamyl Mirella Roman-Audiffred, are considered missing persons.
Now, Buffalo Police have released video that identifies persons of interest after the burned out vehicle was discovered in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood near where the boy was found.
Police were also able to make a connection between the burned-out car and the toddler found.
The department released three videos. The first shows an individual with a shirt over their head walking to the location on Tonawanda Street where the car would be burned. The second shows what appears to be the same person, moving quickly away from the scene with another individual and a child. The individual stops to put a shirt back on their head. On the left side of the frame, a flash can be seen that may be the car being ignited in flames. The third video is a slower, enhanced version of the second video.
Police are looking for anyone who saw or has footage of a white Chrysler Pacifica SUV in the area. The mother, father and family friend of the child were traveling from Florida to Buffalo in the car and were expected to arrive Sunday evening, Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo said.
WKBW is told the toddler's parents haven't made contact with their family since Sunday.
Buffalo police discovered the burned-out vehicle in the city's Black Rock neighborhood Monday with two bodies inside.
It will take between two to four weeks for police to positively identify the bodies.
The little boy was found around a mile away from the car fire inside a box for stray cats. The boy's grandmother said the his name is Noelvin and that they intend to take custody of him.
The boy's grandmother tried to take custody of him, but that request was temporarily denied. She's expected to be back in Buffalo in October for a custody hearing.
This story was originally published on WKBW.
