Missing 2-year-old Houma boy found dead in trash can; child’s mother, her boyfriend arrested

HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - Authorities searching for a missing 2-year-old Houma boy made a grim discovery Tuesday evening, finding the child’s dead body stuffed into a trash can, Houma police said.

Ezekiel Harry’s body was found shortly before 6 p.m., police said, nearly six hours after Louisiana State Police issued a Level II Endangered/Missing Child alert, based on his mother’s report that he had been abducted while on a walk with his siblings.

Houma police almost immediately cast doubt on the mother’s account, saying detectives quickly developed information that led them to suspect foul play. After the boy’s body was recovered from a trash can on Daspit Street on the west side of Houma, police arrested the mother -- 28-year-old Maya Jones, and 37-year-old Jermaine Robinson, described as her live-in boyfriend.

“Both suspects are facing charges relative to first-degree murder, obstruction of justice and other related charges,” Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said in a statement. “Once the suspects are officially charged, additional information will be released.”

According to Jones’ morning account, Ezekiel Harry was last seen around noon at a walking track near Main and Mahler streets in Houma, near the twin bridges overpass over the Intracoastal Waterway.

Police said the mother initially told them she was walking along Bayou Terrebonne with her four children, when someone in a gray truck snatched Ezekiel off the roadway and fled the area. But investigators said they quickly developed confirming information that her account was “inaccurate.”

Houma police said they determined Jones was seen walking from her home on Cadiere Street with Ezekiel and with her three other children between the ages of 5 and 10. Once arriving at Bayou Terrebonne near Mahler Street, Jones began stopping at nearby homes, saying her youngest child had been abducted.

Chief Coleman said Jones was caught on surveillance video walking and driving with a black duffel bag allegedly containing Harry’s lifeless body before dumping him.

The Terrebonne Parish District Attorney says he may seek the death penalty against Jones and Robinson. He will meet with the victim’s family before making that determination.

More: Mother, boyfriend could face death penalty for dumping 2-year-old in trash can

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