Mother arrested in disappearance of missing 11-month-old baby

The mother of a missing 11-month-old baby in Myrtle Beach has been arrested, police said Friday.

Capt. Joey Crosby, spokesman with Myrtle Beach police, announced Thursday night that investigators launched an investigation into the missing 11-month-old baby’s disappearance after receiving information that the baby hadn’t been seen since July.

He said foul play was suspected in the child’s disappearance, but stressed the public was not in danger, and stated officers have identified suspects in the case.

Police served a search warrant at a home along 3rd Avenue South Thursday evening as part of the investigation.

Crosby said the investigation into the baby’s disappearance continued throughout the night after police served the search warrant, and authorities were evaluating evidence and putting the pieces together Friday morning.

Police haven’t said whether any arrests have been made in connection with the case, or what was discovered during the search Thursday night. Crosby said Friday morning that more details on the case would be coming later Friday.

Crosby said that the mother was being held in the Columbia-area, and that she has been transported back to Myrtle Beach.

Her identity will be released once she has been booked.

JoAnne Mendenhall lives next to the home police searched and told The Sun News she was shaken by the investigation happening so close to her home. She’s lived in the area since June.

“I’m terrified. I knew this was a crowded neighborhood when I moved here, but I didn’t know it was so extremely violent. Shootings and police cars constantly,” she said.

Mervyn Mcutchen has lived in the home housing several apartments where police searched Thursday night. He said he works often, and while he wasn’t aware a baby once lived nearby, he noted the people staying in the apartment police searched are no longer there.

WPDE spoke with the property manager of the 3rd Avenue South home that police searched Thursday night, and he said the couple staying there had a 1 or 2-year-old child, and appeared to be decent people.

He allowed a WPDE reporter inside and baby formula, food, and stroller were seen in the home, along with a tipped-over gas can on a bedroom floor.

Neighbors in the area told WPDE they hadn’t seen the child in a while, and said when they inquired where the child was they were told she was staying with her grandmother.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Mother arrested in disappearance of missing 11-month-old baby."