Missing Boy, 7, Found, Turned Over to Officials

A 7-year-old Long Beach boy who was missing for hours was found and put under the care of Children’s and Family Services Tuesday, authorities said.

Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Maria Lopez said that second-grader Andre Demitrice Williams will remain under the protection of Children’s Services until a court decides whether to put him in the custody of his father or mother, who are separated.

Investigators from Long Beach police and the FBI searched for Andre after he had been reported missing Monday. The boy was last seen at 2 p.m. but was nowhere in sight 30 minutes later when his father Andrew Williams came looking for him at Willard Elementary school, Lopez said.

Detectives found the boy at 11:25 p.m., unharmed and safe with his mother, Scheritta Edwards, at her home in the 100 block of Carondelet, Lopez said.

After interviewing Williams and Edwards, detectives were unsure who had custody of the boy, so they turned the case over to Children’s Services, Lopez said.