Sleepy "caretaking" dad manages to lose 2-year-old son for 6 hours; child found outside wandering (Otsego County, Michigan)

Yet another genius "caretaking" UNNAMED DAD who was doing his thing while mom was working. I guess we're lucky in that this isn't a case where poor daddy "snapped" and bashed the baby's skull. No, he manages to "lose" his 2-year-old son, who is found at 2 PM wandering outside in 49 degree weather, dressed in nothing but a dirty diaper and a sweatshirt. Dad was apparently sleeping through all this (at 2 PM??? Maybe this wasn't so much "sleeping" as "sleeping it off"). When questioned, Daddy last reported seeing the child 6 HOURS BEFORE. Although mom was at work, trying to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, CPS has taken the child. Thanks, Daddy.

http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/articles/2010/04/27/news/top_stories/doc4bd731d3b8789576587947.txt

Wandering 2-year-old with protective services

By Michael Jones, Staff WriterTuesday, April 27, 2010 2:50 PM EDT

BAGLEY TWP. - Troopers from the Gaylord Michigan State Police (MSP) post turned a 2-year-old Bagley Township child over to Otsego County Children’s Protective Services Sunday after they responded to a report the young boy was wandering alone behind a McCoy Road residence near Orange Grove Avenue.

Sgt. Denny Reynolds said troopers responded around 2 p.m. to a complaint in which a McCoy Road resident found the child, dressed only in a sweatshirt and soiled diaper, playing in the backyard with a dog.

According to records from the Gaylord National Weather Service, the temperature in Gaylord at that time was 49-degrees, with winds of 13 mph and wind gusts of up to 25 mph reported.

According to Reynolds, the incident report filed by troopers indicated the child had last been seen by his father at the family’s Orange Grove Avenue residence about six hours prior to his son being found by the McCoy Road resident.

Reynolds indicated the boy’s mother had been at work and the father was sleeping during the time of his son’s disappearance and was unaware the toddler was missing.

As a precautionary measure, Reynolds said, the toddler, who appeared healthy, other than having a number of scratches, was taken to Otsego Memorial Hospital for a routine exam.

After interviewing the father, troopers contacted Children’s Protective Services and the boy was taken into their custody. Reynolds said a copy of the investigative report has been forwarded to the Otsego County prosecutor’s office for review.

Contact Michael Jones at 732-1111 or michael@gaylordheraldtimes.com