Conway police: Mother of missing 5-year-old in custody, charged with neglect

The mother of a 5-year-old found in Conway on Thursday evening has been identified and taken into custody, police said Friday.

Police charged Samantha L. Shaver, of Ohio, with unlawful neglect of a child, according to the arrest warrant.

A white man and white woman who appeared to be homeless came to a home on Kenneth Street where they left the boy, saying “he could not come with them,” a Conway police report states.

A person hired to do landscaping at a home on the street said the man and woman left the child and fled on food, the police report states. The child was then taken to the police department and S.C. Department of Social Services was notified, authorities said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Conway police released his photo Thursday evening and called for the public’s help in finding his parents.

This story was originally published August 9, 2019 at 9:46 AM.