Missing 4-month-old girl found in Orlando; parents fled to avoid custody order, sheriff says

DELTONA, Fla. – A 4-month-old girl reported missing Saturday morning in Volusia County was found in Orlando after her parents fled the area to avoid a judge's order to surrender the baby, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told clickorlando.com

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert for Skylah Singleton. She was last seen in the area of the 2900 block of Snow Drive in Deltona.

Chitwood was holding a news conference on the missing infant when deputies informed him Skylah had been found in Orlando.

The sheriff said Skylah will likely be taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for evaluation. When she was born the sheriff said she had heroin in her system.

Authorities said the baby was likely with her parents, Elliot Singleton, 26, and Chloe Wall, 18. Both parents were found in Orlando and arrested, Chitwood said.

Sheriff's Office officials said in a news release both parents were released from jail earlier this week and they left the area to avoid a judge's order to surrender their baby to the state.

Detectives said Wall's mother may have driven her daughter and the baby to Orlando and bought them supplies to go out of state.

Volusia County authorities got a tip that the baby was at a home in Orlando and worked with Orange County law enforcement to place the address under surveillance. Just before 3 p.m., the girl was found, according to the sheriff.

Chitwood said anyone who was harboring Wall and Singleton may also face charges.

Edgewater police arrested Wall on drug possession charges Tuesday. Singleton was also arrested on charges of resisting without violence.

"At the time of the arrests, Skylah was in the vehicle with her parents, where police found prescription pills and paraphernalia used to smoke crack cocaine," Volusia County Sheriff's Office public information officer Andrew Grant said. "Wall is believed to have a history of drug abuse. Skylah tested positive for the presence of drugs in her system immediately after she was born."

Deputies said after the parents' arrests, the Florida Department of Children and Families determined Skylah should be taken into state custody for her own safety. The family did not cooperate with DCF, and when Wall and Singleton were released later Tuesday, they left the area with the girl, according to the news release.

Wall's mother, Jennifer Wall, 41, was arrested Saturday morning in Deltona. Deputies said she provided false information during the missing child investigation to conceal the baby's location and defy the court order.

"Grandma is a piece of human garbage," Chitwood said of Jennifer Wall for helping her daughter avoid surrendering the baby.

Chitwood said the judge's order was for temporary removal of the infant "to get the child the care that the child needs and isn't getting."