ORLANDO, Fla. — A missing infant was found safe Saturday and her parents are now facing charges after trying to avoid law enforcement, authorities said.
- Missing 4-month-old Skylah Singleton found in Orlando
- She was with her parents, who were taken into custody
- Parents fled to avoid order for state to take custody of Skylah
According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, 4-month-old Skylah Singleton, who is from Deltona, was found Saturday afternoon with her parents Ellis Singleton, 28, and Chloe Wall, 18, at the Mall at Millenia. The parents were taken into custody by Orange County deputies.
Singleton and Wall will be charged with "concealing to location of a child, contrary to a court order."
Ellis Singleton is facing additional charges after deputies said he provided a false identity at the time of his original arrest. Deputies said he gave the name Elliot Singleton, which is his younger brother.
Investigators say the couple tried leave town to avoid losing custody of their child. The couple live in Volusia County but they were tracked down Saturday afternoon to an address in Orange County.
A tip led detectives to the couple.
Detectives say the couple were about to lose custody of Skylar and they believe that's why they ran. Ellis Singleton bonded out of jail on Saturday but the mother, Chloe Wall remains in custody.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Chloe Wall has a history of drug use.
"One of the really sad parts of this story is when Skylah was born 4 months ago, she tested positive for drugs in her system." Chitwood said.
The sheriff added that the couple had been avoiding law enforcement since their release from jail earlier this week.
Edgewater police arrested Wall on drug possession charges around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Singleton was also arrested on charges of resisting without violence. At the time of the arrests, Skylah was in the vehicle with her parents where police found prescription pills and paraphernalia used to smoke crack cocaine.
After Tuesday’s arrest, officials with the state Department of Children and Families conducted an investigation and determined Skylah should be taken into DCF custody for her own safety.
The family did not cooperate with DCF, and Wall and Singleton were released from jail later Tuesday,
On Saturday, Chitwood said Chloe Wall's mother, Jennifer Wall, helped the couple avoid law enforcement.
"During our follow up investigation, we came in contact with the grandmother of the child who lives in Deltona," Chitwood said. "She (Jennifer Wall) lied to us and we were able to prove that she gave them supplies so they could elude capture and us getting custody of that child in Volusia County and she subsequently has been arrested."
Jennifer Wall has since bonded out of jail. She is facing several charges including providing false information to an officer.
Chloe Wall is scheduled to appear before a judge on Sunday.