Police in Buffalo, New York, are trying to determine if there is a connection between the discovery of a 3-year-old boy in a cat box on a porch Monday morning and human remains found in a burned car later that night.
Buffalo police said they are looking for Nicole Merced Plaud, 24, and Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon, 31, who they say are the parents of a 3-year-old boy whom Buffalo resident Lois Augsberger found sleeping in a cat box on her porch. Police said they are also looking for a friend of the couple, Dhamyl Mirella Roman-Audiffred, 29. All three adults are from Orlando.
After Augsberger found the boy, investigators found a burned car in the city's Black Rock neighborhood, according to NBC affiliate WGRZ. There were human remains inside the car, and investigators are working to determine if the crime scene is connected to the missing parents and their friend.
Zenaida Colon, who says she is the grandmother of the child, traveled to Buffalo with other family members to try to get custody of the boy Tuesday, WGRZ reported. The boy is in the custody of child protective services.
The family met Augsberger to thank her for keeping the 3-year-old safe and also visited the scene where the burned car was found.
"I'm hopeful that we have a good outcome to this, but if we don't, at least we have peace of mind that they're there or they're not. The sooner the better," said Colon.
