CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Orange Park Police have new leads in the search for a man caught on camera allegedly trying to trade a baby for a snack at a motel Saturday night.
Authorities released surveillance video of the man and the baby from the Rodeway Inn, off Wells Road near I-295 in Orange Park.
Action News has learned that there are no recent reports of an abducted infant in the area. Police say that could suggest that the man might be the baby's father.
"That's one of the strongest possibilities," said Detective Gary Briggs.
A manager at a nearby McDonald's, Adam Walls, told police that he saw the same man catch a cab with the baby and another woman.
"He was holding the baby and he really wasn't holding the child in a protective way like he was just basically letting the kid hang," said Walls.
For investigators, the fact that he took a cab is a promising sign that he hasn't gone too far.
"Given the fact that he's walking around on foot, calling a taxi company, there's a good possibility that he doesn't have his own transportation and may still be local," said Detective Briggs.
Investigators say that the cab company that picked up the man holds the key to finding the missing baby.
Lalls describes the cab as a yellow minivan. Checker Cab on the Northside wouldn't go on camera but told Action News it is the only company that has a vehicle matching that description. The cab that carted the man and the baby away could have been theirs. Now the cab company is working closely with investigators to see if it was, and where that taxi went.
"We've requested GPS records from local cab companies to try to determine which taxi cab it was that did the pick up and where that destination from that run would have been," said Detective Briggs.
Orange Park Police still do not know the identity of the man or the baby. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS. You will remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your tip leads to an arrest.
