Inset, from left: Leon Alejandro Jr. and Samantha Angeline Feliz (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Richmond County Jail in Rockingham, North Carolina (Google Maps).
A Florida couple wanted in connection with the death of their infant has been arrested in North Carolina, authorities in the Tar Heel State said.
Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Angeline Feliz, 20, are each facing charges that include aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, failure to report a death to the medical examiner’s office, providing false information about a missing child, and making false reports to law enforcement during an investigation, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
The pair, who are from Hollywood, Florida — a city about 20 miles north of Miami — are currently being held in North Carolina on warrants issued out of Broward County.
In a press release, the sheriff’s office described the case as a “complex” investigation that began in early 2025, while acknowledging that the timeline remains unclear and many details have not yet been made public.
Investigators believe Feliz gave birth sometime between Dec. 6, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025. Authorities allege the birth was concealed and that the child was delivered “somewhere other than a hospital.”
At some point after the birth, the infant disappeared, the sheriff’s office said.
“During the child’s first month of life, other family members saw the couple with the baby,” the release states. “After that, the baby was never seen again, and both parents denied that the child was theirs, claiming it was a prank.”
As the investigation progressed, authorities charged both defendants, on the assumption the child had been born and subsequently died, “[d]espite the lack of an official birth certificate and medical records,” the sheriff’s office said.
After the warrants were issued based on violations of Florida law, the U.S. Marshals Service enlisted officials in North Carolina to help with the investigation, according to the press release.
The couple fled to Richmond County and were living on a property belonging to one of Alejandro’s relatives — on Ledbetter Road in Rockingham — when they were arrested, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities did not immediately disclose how they think the baby died or its exact age at the time of death.
The defendants are currently being detained in the Richmond County Jail on fugitive of justice warrants with no bond as they await extradition to the Sunshine State.
“This is a prime example of agencies nationwide collaborating to uphold justice,” Sheriff Mark B. Gulledge said in a statement.
The post Florida couple charged in missing baby’s death told people ‘it was a prank’ and said the child was not theirs: Sheriff first appeared on Law & Crime.
