Ohio Community Embraces Boy Left in Cemetery

Police say their lobby is full of gifts
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 25, 2020 4:45 PM CST
Ohio Community Embraces Boy Left in Cemetery
Stock photo.   (Getty/Inna Dodor)

An Ohio police chief is hailing what he called an "overwhelming" response to the story of a young boy found in a cemetery two days before Christmas. Hinckley Police Chief David Centner said on Thursday that the child, believed to be about 3½ years old, was doing well "in the loving home" of a Medina County foster family. Police were called shortly after noon Wednesday to Hope Memorial Gardens Cemetery, the AP reports, where a witness reported seeing a car speeding away and a little boy "running after the car followed by a dog." Police said the boy told authorities his name was Tony and also told them his parents' first names.

Centner invited members of the community to drop off gifts and on Christmas Eve posted a follow-up message of thanks. "Our lobby is full from the gifts that have been dropped off," he wrote in a Facebook post. "I reached out to my friend Santa and tomorrow morning after he has finished his deliveries he is going to stop at HPD. We are going to load the sleigh and make one final stop to see our little friend." Centner said that the child's parents had been identified and that officers were working with the county children's services agency, but "a lot of questions" remained. He praised those who offered to take the boy in or adopt him. "All of you have renewed my faith and appreciation for the wonderful community we live in," Centner said.

(More uplifting news stories.)

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