Police say missing baby boy's parents lied
Miami police spokesman Willie Moreno put it simply Friday morning.
''The mom was lying,'' he said.
Police said there was no child, and the mother, Meagan McCormic, had actually had a miscarriage six months ago.
She had used the fake existence of the baby to lure back an ex-boyfriend, who had traveled south to Miami from whereabouts unknown to meet his supposed son.
Buchanan could not be immediately reached for comment.
Police are now asking for the state attorney's office to force McCormic to pay for the resources that were used to locate the supposed child. According to police, up to 20 detectives worked the case throughout all of Christmas Eve and Christmas to locate the child.
McCormic was arrested at 6 a.m. this morning on charges of giving false information to police officers for a crime occurred.
Parents had said the baby disappeared with their nanny, known only as Camille. Police said on Thursday that Camille had not answered her cellphone or responded to text messages.
The boy's parents had said they last spoke with Camille on Tuesday, and when she didn't bring the boy back on Wednesday, they called police.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the 11-pound boy in a white onesie and blue jeans, hair done in a mohawk and a fake tattoo of an anchor on his left arm.
''Right now, detectives have worked around the clock and are desperately trying to locate Riley and bring him back home safely,'' said Moreno on Thursday.
We ask Camille, we ask anyone in the community, if they've seen this person, if they know who Camille is, to please come forward.''
Police said they had only a vague description of the nanny. The boy's parents, John Buchness and Meagan McCormic, said they did not know Camille's last name.
They told authorities she lives somewhere along Biscayne Boulevard, though they have not been to her house. She drives a red Acura, possibly with a Massachusetts license plate, they said.
According to police, the original story was as follows:
The young couple moved from Boston in September and were living in 5000 block of Northwest Seventh Street. They knew Camille from Boston, where she had baby sat for Riley.
Within the past month or two, she called to say she had moved to Miami and offered to watch the boy once again, the parents told police.
On Tuesday, they said, she was taking care of Riley and sent a text message to McCormic about 1 p.m. to say the baby had just woken up and she was going to bring him to her home. This was not unusual.
Two hours later, she sent a text message saying she was running late and stuck in traffic.
By 5 p.m., when Camille had not dropped off the baby, McCormic called Camille to say she had to run out of the house and that Riley could stay at the baby sitter's. She asked that Camille drop him off by 3 p.m. Wednesday so they could take him to Georgia to see family.
On Wednesday, Camille still hadn't dropped Riley off at the house. She was not answering her cellphone of responding to text messages. At 8 p.m., the family called police.
''As of now we have been following any possible leads trying to find out who Camille,'' Moreno said.
The parents described Camille as five feet six inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds, with dark brown hair halfway down her back and a gap between her teeth. They said she speaks with a heavy French accent.
Police asked anyone with information to call Miami Police at 305-579-6630 or 305-579-6619.
