Hallandale Beach Police Dig for More Remains in Missing Boy Case
A Broward County judge raised the bond amounts for Calvin Melvin Jr., 27, and Brittney Sierra, 21, during a weekend court hearing
On
Saturday, police and forensic anthropologists kept digging for more
remains at the property where the parents of a missing boy once lived.
Natalie Garrido, a current resident there, described a hectic day
Saturday. NBC 6 reporter Gilma Avalos has the story.
The Hallandale Beach parents arrested
in the disappearance of their baby boy -- and labeled by authorities as
suspects in the boy’s possible death -- will be required to post higher
bond amounts before they are freed from jail, a judge ruled Saturday.
Broward Circuit Judge Geoffrey Cohen
raised the bond amounts for Calvin Melvin Jr., 27, and Brittney Sierra,
21, during a weekend court hearing on child neglect charges in the
disappearance of Dontrell Melvin, who police say was 5 months old when
he was last seen around July 2011.
On Saturday, police and forensic
anthropologists kept digging for more remains at the property where
Melvin and Sierra once lived. Hallandale Beach police on Friday found
remains there that they said were consistent with those of an infant.
Police said they haven’t determined whether the remains are Dontrell’s.
As police investigated outside the
property, a current resident who moved into the home about six months
ago said she was allowed to stay inside her residence. Natalie Garrido,
21, described a hectic day Saturday, saying that many police cars
remained parked outside.
Saturday afternoon, she said she saw officials setting up additional tents in the backyard and using buckets as they excavated.
"They’re doing a lot of digging back
there, for any leftover bones or something," Garrido said. "They added a
couple of tents, I guess to protect everything that’s going on."
In court Saturday, the judge first spoke to Sierra, charged with one count of child neglect.
“The allegations are extremely
serious,” the judge told Sierra. “In light of that, I do find it
essential to set a very substantial bond to assure her presence at
further proceedings.”
Cohen raised Sierra's bond amount to $100,000.
Assistant Public Defender Terry
Conover, who represented Sierra on Saturday, said he opposed the
increased bond amount, given it was basically unaffordable for Sierra.
“Judge, we object to the amount of
the bond being tantamount to no bond,” Conover said. “She has ties to
the community. She doesn’t have the funds and she has really virtually
no record, so we object.”
Cohen replied, “Your objection is noted,” but he didn’t change his mind on Sierra’s bond being $100,000.
Dontrell’s two siblings recently
were placed in the custody of the state Department of Children and
Families. Sierra told the judge she visited the courthouse Thursday and
was told she could "have supervision with my kids."
"I was wondering can I also see them while I’m here, or when I get out while I’m on house arrest?" she asked.
The judge told her he wouldn't authorize her request.
Then the judge addressed Melvin,
charged with child neglect and obstructing a criminal investigation by
providing false statements to police. The judge increased Melvin's bond
to $150,000.
Little Boy Has Been Missing Since July 2011: Hallandale Beach Police
If either Sierra or Melvin were to post their bond amount, each would be freed from jail and placed on house arrest, the judge said.
If either Sierra or Melvin were to post their bond amount, each would be freed from jail and placed on house arrest, the judge said.
Each also would be required to wear an electronic-monitoring device as they await their court cases to proceed, the judge said.
Sierra’s mother, who attended the
hearing, told Cohen, “She has a place to go. She has family that loves
her.” The mother declined to comment after the hearing.
Dontrell’s disappearance didn’t
become known to authorities until Wednesday, when a child welfare
investigator spoke to Sierra regarding a child neglect case, according
to Hallandale Beach police.
The investigator determined that
Dontrell was missing. She spoke to his grandparents who said they hadn’t
seen the boy in more than a year. The investigator notified police.
After hours of police questioning
Thursday, the parents blamed each other in the boy’s disappearance and
each provided police an area to search, police said.
Police said Friday that they dug up
the remains in the backyard of a home, in the 100 block of Northwest
First Avenue in Hallandale Beach. It is reportedly where the couple had
lived.
Before the remains were found,
Police Chief Dwayne Flournoy said that if evidence warranted further
charges, the parents “will be charged accordingly.”
After the remains were unearthed,
the chief said the missing-person case had turned into a homicide
investigation. He said, “Are the parents suspects? Yes.”
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