A young Florida couple who allegedly insisted their missing newborn had never existed is now in custody in North Carolina, following a yearlong investigation into what authorities believe may be the infant’s death.
Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Feliz, 20, both from Hollywood, Florida, were arrested Wednesday in Rockingham, North Carolina. Investigators say the pair traveled there as Hollywood police continued probing the disappearance of their baby.
Deputies with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside the U.S. Marshals Service, took Alejandro and Feliz into custody. Both were booked into the Richmond County Jail on fugitive of justice warrants and are being held without bond as they await extradition back to Florida.
The Hollywood Police Department opened its investigation in early 2025 after receiving information that Feliz had allegedly given birth sometime between Dec. 6, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Angeline Feliz, 20, were arrested in North Carolina and are awaiting extradition to Florida on multiple felony charges connected to their infant’s disappearance. (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office – N.C. via Facebook)
Authorities allege the birth was kept hidden from officials and did not take place in a hospital or medical facility.
Investigators said relatives reported seeing the couple with the newborn during the baby’s first month. After that period, officials say, the child vanished from view and was never seen again.
An arrest warrant obtained by WPLG states that detectives believe the infant, identified only by the initials A.F., was last photographed on Jan. 5, 2025. In that image, investigators said the baby appeared “visibly ill and malnourished” and showed “no signs of life,” describing it as the last known photo of the child.
The warrant also alleges investigators searched multiple locations with cadaver dogs but were unable to locate the child’s remains, according to the outlet.
Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested the Florida couple at a property near Rockingham, North Carolina. (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office – N.C. Facebook)
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Authorities allege Alejandro and Feliz repeatedly denied the child existed, telling relatives the baby “was a prank” and later claiming the pregnancy had been a “hoax” intended to scam family members out of money, WPLG reported, citing the arrest warrant.
According to the outlet, investigators said photographs showed Feliz visibly pregnant, while text messages discussed the pregnancy and the baby.
Detectives also reportedly recovered baby clothing, a positive pregnancy test and what appeared to be blood-stained towels from a storage unit tied to the couple. DNA testing later determined blood recovered from the baby clothing and towels belonged to a biological child of Alejandro and Feliz, according to the warrant.
Despite the lack of a birth certificate or medical records, investigators said they developed enough evidence to charge both suspects with aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, failure to report a death to the medical examiner, providing false information concerning a missing child and making false reports to law enforcement.
Authorities allege the couple fled Florida and were living on property belonging to one of Alejandro’s relatives in Richmond County when investigators located and arrested them July 22.
Hollywood, Florida, lies on the Florida beach between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and was named after the showbiz town in California. (fotog via Getty Images)
Richmond County Sheriff Mark Gulledge praised the multi-agency effort that led to the arrests.
“This is a prime example of agencies nationwide collaborating to uphold justice,” Gulledge said in a statement.
Authorities have not publicly released additional details about what investigators believe happened to the infant.
INC News has reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for any additional updates on the investigation, but did not immediately receive a response.
