Police: Body Believed to Be Missing Toddler Found in Creek

Police believe they have found the body of a 14-month-old Maryland boy who had been missing in central Ohio.

Cameron Beckford's mother previously told police she abandoned her son on a stranger's porch, but her attorney, Mark Collins, said his client made up the story.

On Wednesday, searchers found what they believe is Cameron's body in a creek on Columbus' far east side, police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner confirmed.

Cameron's mother, Dainesha Stevens, appeared in court Wednesday on two felony charges related to the boy's disappearance and was ordered held on $150,000 bond.

Stevens, 24, is charged with endangering children and tampering with evidence. A charging document says Stevens failed to protect the boy by allowing someone to violently spank him several times.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Stevens had taken Cameron and his 6-year-old sister to Columbus from Frederick, Maryland on Dec. 15.

Collins said that before leaving Maryland, Stevens called police for help, and received a bus pass from the local protective services agency.

Frederick, Maryland police spokesman Lt. Clark Pennington said a domestic dispute preceded Stevens' departure.

"I know that they had, like, an argument on the 14th and that's why we think she went to Ohio on the 15th," he said. Pennington said he didn't have immediate access to details about the dispute.

Frederick police previously said the father of the two children called police Sunday and reported that their mother had taken them to an unknown location in Columbus in mid-December. Based on the father's concerns, missing-child reports were issued.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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