EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 13-month-old boy was found alive after spending nearly two days trapped inside a locked, impounded car at an Eastpointe tow lot. His father is now facing child abuse charges, and questions are being raised about whether police should have done more before the vehicle was towed.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
Orlander Linson Jr. is charged with second-degree child abuse. He is accused of leaving his toddler son inside an illegally parked vehicle in Harper Woods last Thursday night. The car was impounded to an Eastpointe tow lot the following day.
The child was inside the vehicle from Thursday night until Saturday afternoon, when Detroit and Harper Woods officers discovered him crying, pinned between a car seat and the passenger door at the tow lot.
PREVIOUS STORY: Toddler found alive inside impounded car in Eastpointe lot; father in custody
Earlier that day, the child's mother went to the Detroit Police Department's Ninth Precinct to report him missing. A detective learned Harper Woods Police had impounded her boyfriend's vehicle and suspected the toddler might be inside.
Harper Woods Police Chief Jason Hammerle said the officer who impounded the vehicle conducted a visual inspection but did not see the child inside. Because the car was locked, it was not thoroughly inventoried.
When I asked whether officers had lockout tools to check inside the vehicle, Hammerle said, "We do not possess those types of tools. I'm satisfied our officer followed policy in that incident. We cannot enter or damage locked vehicles, and he did a visual inspection from the outside — I'm satisfied with that."
Hammerle did credit the Detroit detective who tracked down the vehicle.
"That detective did an outstanding job by locating the car, considering it wasn't quite registered to the suspect yet in this case," Hammerle said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Harper Woods Director of Public Safety details case where toddler was in impounded car
Retired Detroit Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt believes Harper Woods Police should have done more.
"They couldn't get into it right away. From what I've seen in the past, all tow yards have a Slim Jim or some way to get into cars. Granted, the car wasn't flagged — the officer thought it was just a routine impound. In this case, it was not," Dolunt said. "Fortunately, they got to it before the baby was deceased. So yeah, they dropped the ball."
In court, investigators pushed for a high cash bond, citing Linson's history and lack of a permanent address.
"Mr. Linson Jr. has 10 active warrants for his arrest, and he does not have a residence at this time," Deputy Chief Ted Stager said. "So if he does bond out, I'm concerned that he may be in the wind, and we have no way to find out where he would be."
Linson's court-appointed attorney, Davonne Darby, argued for a personal bond.
"Mr. Linson is employed at the Little Caesars Arena as a security guard. He also is a father of five, and he realizes that this is just a bad decision made in a split second, so we're hoping that he could have a personal bond so that he can adjudicate this case and get back to his family quickly," Darby said.
Police have not said what Linson was doing when he allegedly left his son alone in the car.
The child is recovering in the hospital and is in the custody of Child Protective Services. Linson is being held on a $100,000 bond and is due back in court March 11.
———————————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
