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Boy, 3, reunited with mother
The boy was found shirtless wandering along 30th Street near Busch Gardens on Friday.
By TIMES STAFF
Published July 25, 2005
TAMPA - A 3-year-old boy found wandering along busy 30th Street near Busch Gardens on Friday has been returned to his mother, while the case was ruled a breakdown in communication.
Rontavious Thomas was found standing alone and shirtless on a sidewalk along 30th Street north of Bougainvillea Avenue by a passing motorist around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The woman, Rachel Sellers, 37, stopped her van and tried to help the boy, alerting Tampa police officers in the area.
The boy's mother, Ishamere Johnson, 23, later saw a report about her son on the evening news. She told Tampa police she had left the boy at a cousin's home after the cousin's 19-year-old daughter said they could watch him while Johnson ran errands, police said. The cousin wasn't aware the boy was staying at her home.
Somehow, the boy slipped out the door without anyone seeing him.
On Monday, Tampa police said they are no longer investigating any criminal wrongdoing and have learned the case amounted to a miscommunication between family members. The Department of Children and Families returned Rontavious to his mother late Friday evening.
[Last modified July 25, 2005, 19:23:02]
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