Public’s Help Sought in Finding Boy, 8

Police turned to the public Monday for help in finding an 8-year-old Los Angeles boy missing since the weekend when his mother’s boyfriend took the child on a purported errand to borrow money from his boss, authorities said Monday.

When Manuel Morales, 25, failed to return with Carlos Pineda on Sunday, the boy’s mother, Adela Pineda, 35, called police, Lt. Marlin (Doc) Warkentin said.

Detectives located Morales around midnight Sunday in a trailer parked at the roofing company where he works, Warkentin said. After questioning, police arrested Morales for investigtion of child-stealing. Warkentin told reporters that Morales claimed three men had abducted the boy at Olympic Boulevard and Highland Avenue on Saturday after robbing him of $1,500 he had borrowed.

Carlos has black hair and brown eyes, weighs about 60 pounds and is 3-feet, 5-inches tall. Warkentin asked that anyone who may have seen the boy call police at 485-4062 or 485-2919.