DeKalb police locate 5-year-old missing since April

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County police say a 5-year-old boy who had allegedly been missing since April was found in foster care in a nearby county with a different name.

They did not elaborate on how or why this happened or who was charged, saying the case is still under investigation.

DeKalb County Police said Lovell Barnett’s grandmother had reported him missing on Aug. 2. She said she had not seen the boy since April.

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Barnett’s mother told investigators that she left her son in the care of an acquaintance near Candler Road and Rainbow Drive shortly before she went to jail in another county.

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While she was in jail, Barnett’s mother said he remained with the acquaintance, who later told her he had been turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Police could not determine the identity of the acquaintance, and DCFS confirmed that they did not have a child matching Barnett’s description in the system.

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