Abandoned car in Maine may be clue in case of Miami-Dade boy who vanished in August

MIAMI – An abandoned vehicle that turned up in Maine may provide a clue to the whereabouts of six-year-old Jorge “Jojo” Morales, who is the subject of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Amber Alert after he vanished on Aug. 27, in Miami-Dade County.

Miami-Dade detectives believed Jorge, who is on the autism spectrum, was in a gray 2006 Ford Expedition with Florida tag CSI-U53. Detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said early Saturday morning that they were “aware” of the vehicle in Maine.

“Investigators are trying to determine if the vehicle has any involvement in the case,” Zabaleta wrote in an e-mail.

Jorge’s mother, Yanet Leal Concepcion, told police officers through tears that she and her son’s father, Jorge Morales, had been involved in a custody battle.

Concepcion said that since she left Morales about three years ago, the two had engaged in an ongoing custody battle. Detectives believe Morales abducted Jorge.

“Every time I close my eyes I see him and I just want him running toward me and to hug me and I’m afraid, I’m terrified, I’m really broken,” Concepcion said in August.

Detectives asked anyone with information about the case to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 or FDLE at 1-888-356-4774.