Infant found dead hours after dad asks for public’s help; dad charged with murder

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (TCD) --

A father in Alabama was charged with murder after his 5-week-old son was found buried two days after being reported missing.

Caleb Whisnand, 32, called police Monday, May 10, at 10:49 p.m. from a Circle K store on Wetumpka Highway to report his 5-week-old son was missing, AL.com reports.

Whisnand reportedly told police the boy had been abducted from his vehicle at the Circle K.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a missing child alert Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, Whisnand and the child's mother Angela Gardner pleaded for information regarding their son in a news conference.

There were conflicting reports as to when the parents last saw their son, identified as Caleb "C.J." Whisnand Jr.

Hours after the news conference Wednesday, investigators found C.J.'s body buried in a remote area of Lowndes County, according to court documents, and charged his father with reckless manslaughter, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. The child was found dead in a wooded area.

On Thursday, the Montgomery County Sheriff announced Caleb Whisnand is charged with capital murder, according to AL.com. He was held without bond.

According to court documents, authorities believe Whisnand "recklessly caused the death of the baby and afterwards buried the victim in a remote area."

Five-week-old C.J.'s time of death was determined to be between 3:45 p.m. and 10:49 p.m., AL.com reports. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head.

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