Missing child sought in Durham

Monday, November 24, 2014
Missing child sought in Durham
Durham County officials are making a renewed effort to find a missing one-year-old boy.

DURHAM (WTVD) -- A public plea has generated few credible leads in the disappearance of a Durham toddler, according to officials.

Andre Thompson Jr.'s mysterious whereabouts prompted a meeting between law enforcement and Durham Social Services on Monday.

The boy's safety was a concern in April. Durham police and other law enforcement agencies searched for the child in the Triangle and Southport, N.C. after his parents were arrested in Winston-Salem.

Andre Thompson (L), Dreama Ferguson (R)
WTVD/Courtesy: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The child's mother, Dreama Ferguson, and his father, Andre Thompson, were charged with misdemeanor child abuse. A judge returned the child to his mother's care and reduced his father's bond from $20,000 to $1, 000.

The North Carolina Department of Corrections lists Thompson as an absconder. He was on probation after being convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon in March 2013.

Andre Thompson Jr. went missing for the second time in early August after a judge granted Durham Social Services physical custody of the 22-month-old. The department says the child and his parents disappeared before it could take custody of him.

There are active arrest warrants for Ferguson and Thompson. Both are accused of felony abduction and child abuse. Authorities believe they fled with the toddler despite receiving warning about his health.

The details surrounding the child's custody are considered confidential. His parents' arrest warrants suggest there was concern for the child's medical care and nutrition.

An officer wrote in his summary that the parents failed "to comply with the child's medical treatment team referral for nutritional assistance which is crucial for the wellbeing and health of the child in light of the child's current medical state."

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the child or his parents should call the Durham Police Department at (919) 560-4600 or 911.

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