Law enforcement authorities in Minnesota are asking for the public’s help as they continue their search for a 2-year-old boy who has been missing since his father violated a no-contact order and took the child from his mother’s home following an argument two weeks ago.
The father, 29-year-old Walter Brown, has since been charged with one count of felony deprivation of parental rights and one count of violating a court order for unlawfully taking young Koran Kory Brown, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
According to a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Brown on March 23 got into “an altercation” with Koran’s mother at a residence located in the 1200 block of Pohl Road in Mankato, about 75 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Following the argument, Brown left the residence with Koran and neither of the two have been seen or heard from since, authorities say.
Brown is last known to have communicated with “an acquaintance” at about 2:30 p.m. on March 24, police said. Brown’s alleged taking of his son was reported to Mankato Public Safety on March 29 and with the assistance of the BCA, the investigation into Koran’s whereabouts remains ongoing.
Police described Koran as a Black male child who is about 2 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs about 40 pounds, and has brown eyes with dark colored hair. Brown is described as being about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair that has been fashioned into dreadlocks with the tips dyed blonde. Brown also has visible neck tattoos, though authorities did not specify what the tattoos looked like.
Court records show that Brown is a convicted felon with a history of violence, and authorities say there is reason to be concerned for the welfare of him and his son.
In a probable cause affidavit filed in connection with the deprivation of parental rights charge, police say that during the altercation with Koran’s mother, Brown threatened to kill her, according to a report from the Star Tribune. Brown and Koran’s mother reportedly have three children together with the mother maintaining custodial rights for all three.
Following the fight, Koran’s mother reportedly refused to let Brown in the home. He then allegedly snuck into the residence using a side door and took some of Koran’s clothing as well as the child, police said. When the mother began repeatedly calling and texting Brown, she told police that he replied with a series of threats and indicated that he was going to kill himself.
“We’re in good communication with family,” Commander of Mankato Public Safety Christopher Baukol said during a news briefing on Wednesday, according to Mankato Fox/CBS affiliate KEYC. “We had some good leads, or leads that we thought were good, and we were tracking those down. We worked those all the way through the weekend. Through yesterday or Monday afternoon is when those leads started to dry up.”
When asked why no Amber Alert had been issued for Koran, Baukol explained that authorities did not have a description of the vehicle Brown was driving and the child was reported missing multiple days after he was actually taken from his home.
Baukol said that Brown taking his son without permission and going two weeks without talking to any of his friends or family are both “not typical behavior” for him, leading to increased concern for their safety.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is urged to contact Public Safety at 507-387-8725.
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