A missing three-year-old boy from Florida was found at St. Patrick's Cathedral last night. Nathaniel Fons had a note in his pocket with "his name, his mother's name, and the name of the detective investigating this case in Flagler County, Fla," according to WCBS 2, which adds that little Nathaniel is now "safe and unharmed after a whirlwind two days that apparently included a crime spree, arrest and cross-country journey."
Apparently his mother Erin Comeau and her boyfriend were arrested for counterfeiting when they were caught using a fake $100 bill in Florida on Sunday. The Daily News reports, "A sharp-eyed convenience store clerk spotted the phony bill and saw Comeau - who had numerous warrants out for her arrest - and the boyfriend drive away in a stolen RV with New York plates." She said Nathaniel was with her friends, Eleanor Black, 29, and William Scott, 32.
Two days later, police say a woman brought Nathaniel to St. Patrick's, telling a guard that she needed to see a priest. When he said she would need to go the rectory, the Post reports, "The jittery woman then stuffed a piece of paper in the boy's pocket and fled. The frightened, crying boy pulled out the note and gave it to the guard." Police are now looking at surveillance footage from outside the church.
The boy's paternal grandfather Donald Fons and his wife had been fighting for custody of Nathaniel. Fons told the Post he was overjoyed his grandson was okay and said of where the child was left, "A church isn't too bad. To tell the truth, I don't give a darn where he was dropped off, as long as he's safe." New York Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said, "Thank goodness the people knew enough that St. Patrick's is a place that a child can be taken care of and be safe."
