Baker County comes out for Lonzie

Missing toddler's father says he's thankful for community support

MACCLENNY, Fla. – Hundreds of people came together Wednesday night to pray for Lonzie Barton and support his family as they continue to search for the missing 21-month-old.

People across the state have been touched by how the community has stepped up to search for Lonzie, and Wednesday they traveled from all over to pray for Lonzie at a vigil in Maclenny.

Lonzie disappeared late Thursday night or early Friday morning while in the care of his mother's boyfriend, William Ruben Ebron Jr., who is now considered a suspect in the case. His disappearance is now being investigated as a homicide.

The father of the missing toddler said Wednesday that as the search continues for his son, he's thankful for the support he has received from the community.

Chris Barton said he is emotionally drained from the seven-day search. He said he appreciates the hard work of everyone who is searching for Lonzie and that he's been out in the woods hoping to find his son.

Chris Barton (pictured with Lonna Lauramore, holding Lonzie) and his family are from Baker County, and the vigil was held at Memorial Park off West Macclenny Avenue.

Several cars in the Baker County area could be seen bearing #FindLonzie on their windows.

“I just decided yesterday, since we were doing errands, to put that on the windows for inspiration,” Gabriel Anderson said.

In this family photo posted on the Help Find Lonzie Barton Facebook page,Lonna and Christopher Barton are shown, with Lonzie in his mother's lap.

Anderson said that his family knows Lonzie’s mother, Lonna Lauramore, well. He said his family went through a very difficult time in 2007 and she helped.

A few hundred people gathered to pray, light candles and let off balloons as a show of support for Lonzie and his distraught family.

Lonzie’s disappearance has touched many people in the community who had some sort of link to the boy and some who have none at all.

That includes a couple of women, child care workers who cared for Lonzie, and now miss him desperately.

“We’ve been up days and days crying ourselves. It’s just like it’s one of ours,” child care worker Krisie Burkhalter said.

“It just affected us. We’ve seen him daily and now he’s gone. We just want him to come home safe,” Stephanie Ash, another child care worker, said.

There are also another woman, a total stranger from Lake Butler who drove up after watching the news unfold that the small child has yet to be found.

“I couldn’t imagine a baby being missing and not knowing what to do for itself. I think the community should come together and other communities should when things like this happen,” Elizabeth Parrish said.

Another friend of the family, who asked not to be identified, said that her young daughter has played with Lonzie many times. She said that it is a very helpless feeling having to watch the search unfold.

“It's been hard, knowing that I have a little one myself -- and being there for Lonna is a big part of this, just supporting them, hoping they find Lonzie,” the woman said.

One notable absence from the vigil was Lonzie’s mother, Lonna Lauramore. Her sister showed up and told the crowd that child welfare workers have asked to keep Lonzie’s 5-year-old sister away from anything related to this case, and Lonna Lauramore had to stay home with her.

“I have talked to her one time. The one time I talked to her she was down there looking for her son. Looking for him, crying. She hasn’t slept and hasn’t ate. That’s all we know,” Lonna Lauramore’s sister Brittni Lauramore said.

Chris Barton's ex-wife, Sonja Norman, was also at the vigil, speaking up on behalf of Lonna Lauramore. 

"To the people who keep saying why hasn’t she pleaded publicly for her kids, I don’t see how parents do. I myself would be a slobbering mess and wouldn’t want a camera in my face," Norman said. "And so what Lonna was a stripper, and so what the media keeps digging stuff up on her. The main issue here is Lonzie. The family loves and misses him dearly. But to the ones who keep bashing and judging, look in your own backyard before you do. Show some compassion. Be caring and loving instead of hateful and judging. No parent deserves to lose their baby no matter what they’ve done," 

The family has been encouraging people to wear blue or blue ribbons they’ve been handing out because it matches the color of Lonzie’s eyes and is a reminder of him.

Church sermon calls for prayers for Lonzie

 

Back in Jacksonville, the chaplain of a local church made the search for Lonzie the topic of his sermon Wednesday night, coming on the heels of Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Tom Hackney's call for prayer in the search for the missing boy.

"I don't know if it's unusual or not. What I personally do, and what people can do to help is pray. You know I mentioned Sunday, go to church and pray," Hackney said. 

And for that reason, the members of Harvest Time Church came together Wednesday to do just that, pray.

"Here at this church, we believe in prayer, and we been lifting up the law-enforcement officers and Lonzie and their family. I'm praying for resolution," pastor Clarence Jarrell said. 

Jarrell, who also works as the chaplain for the Fraternal Order of Police, held a Bible study for members to hear the word of God, and spoke of God using law enforcement as a vessel during this time.

"Paul identified law-enforcement as ministers of God. "For they are the ministers of God to be for good. So law enforcement is an arm of God's grace, God's love and compassion toward a community. And they been doing God's work over the last several days," Jarrell said.

Days that may have taken a physical toll on the officers and firefighters working to canvass through heavy woods and ponds daily. But Jarrell said they will continue to uplift the hardworking crews and family of Lonzie, spiritually.

“They been laboring and sweating and putting in the hours for the child day and night. And we're lifting them up, believing they're going to continue to do the work of God. That God has ordained that they do.”
 


About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.