ZOE BROWN - 4 yo - / Arrested: Parents; Tongela Denise McBride and Alonzo Brown - Anderson, SC/ Marietta, GA

Deputies still working to identify abandoned toddler


Posted: Apr 03, 2013 11:16 AM EDT Updated: Apr 05, 2013 3:07 PM EDT



By Casey Vaughn -

Deputies hope someone can identify this girl. (Source: Anderson Co. Sheriff's Office)



The clothes deputies say the toddler was wearing when she was dropped
off at an Anderson home on Tuesday. (Source: Anderson Co. Sheriff's Office)

ANDERSON, SC (FOX Carolina) - Deputies continue to
search for clues that would help them identify a toddler left in a
stroller on an Anderson family's front porch Tuesday night.

Anderson County deputies said the unidentified girl was dropped off about 11:30
p.m. at a home on Brooke Forest Drive in Anderson.

Deputies said the homeowner heard the doorbell and when he opened the door, he found a
girl believed to be between 2 and 3 years old in a stroller. The man
told deputies he did not see anyone else around and did not recognize the child.

The man called 911 and when deputies arrived, they
found a handwritten message on the girl's diaper that said "Call DFAC
Please," according to Capt. Garland Major Jr. with the Anderson County
Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said that DFAC could stand for
Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services. Chad McBride with
the Anderson County Sheriff's Office said there are numerous states that
have agencies with the similar acronyms, so they are urging anyone to
help them identify the girl.

"The majority of us up here in
investigations have children, and it just tears us up," Major said. "The
investigator who went out there has a child also around the same age,
and like I said this is a very beautiful girl, and she hugged onto the
investigator and that kind of melts us. We are going to do the right
thing."

The girl was placed in emergency protective custody and
taken to AnMed Health where she was examined and released after she was
found in good condition. She was placed with a foster family.

Major said doctors observed a scar on the right side of her neck and center of her chest that was consistent with heart surgery.

"The child apparently has undergone a fairly serious procedure in her little
life and we need to know what her medical history background is, so if
she has any issues in the future, doctors will know how to appropriately
treat her," McBride said.

McBride said they are still reaching
out to local doctors and the children's hospital to see if someone know
where she may have had the procedure.

He said they do not know
where she is from and could be from outside of South Carolina and hope a
medical professional will remember performing surgery on her.

McBride said the sheriff's office has received a lot of calls and support from
across the country, but anyone looking to help or foster the girl should
contact South Carolina's Department of Social Services.

Investigators are working with neighboring states' agencies and The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children to identify the girl and her family.

As of Friday afternoon, McBride said they had received about 10 tips about
her identity so far. He said no matter what, they want her to have her
identity.

The child's hair was braided and both ears were pierced
with diamond stud earrings, deputies said. She was wearing a white
shirt with yellow sleeves (size 24 months), gray pants with a floral
design and pink jacket. She was also wearing a pink stocking cap and
brown boots with the picture of Dora the Explorer on them.

While there is a law in South Carolina that allows a parent who does not feel
like they can take care of a child to drop them off at specific
locations, like a fire station, it does not apply to a child this old.
Daniel's Law is only for babies up to 30 days old.


Anyone who can identify the girl or knows anything about where she is from is
asked to call the sheriff's office at 864-260-4400 or Crime Stoppers at
888-CRIME-SC.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/21866211/deputies-baby-left-at-strangers-doorstep

Toddler left abandoned identified

04.06.2013 at 7:44 PM


ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) -- Investigators in Anderson County have determined the identity of a toddler abandoned at a local
home and have arrested her parents.

Anderson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Chad McBride on Saturday identified the girl as 4-year-old Zoe Brown of Marietta, Ga.

McBride said 31-year-lold Alonzo Brown was arrested Saturday, as was the child's mother, 37-year-old Tongela Denise McBride. Both are facing charges of unlawful neglect of a child.

Alonzo Brown was arrested in Anderson County. At a court appearance Saturday, his request for bail was denied.

Tongela McBride was arrested in Georgia and is awaiting extradition to South Carolina; McBride said the girl is still under foster care. Zoe was left in a stroller Tuesday night on the doorstep of an Anderson home. The homeowner said he didn't recognize the child.

http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=881764#.UWIVI1dFPdc

Just read about this case. Sad that a stranger like me has more love for her than her parents. I hope they don't have other kids. At least at four this little angel has a chance if she's adopted by good people right away. William