Palmdale landfill searched for remains of missing child; Parents arrested in Utah

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators searched the Antelope Valley landfill this week for the remains of an infant who disappeared in Palmdale several days earlier, according to law enforcement officials.

“Unfortunately, it started with a missing infant and now it’s a death investigation,” Lt. Omar Camacho told the Times on Tuesday. “We are searching (the landfill) based on where the investigation took us and unfortunately we were unable to find anything today.”

A day later, Camacho confirmed that the baby’s father was considered a suspect.

Baki Dewees was born April 14 and was last seen in Palmdale on May 3, according to a flyer his family posted on Facebook.

“My family and I are urgently asking for your help,” the child’s great-aunt wrote on Facebook. “Baki is only 3 weeks old. Please help us bring Baki home to his grandmother.”

Two days after the birth, the mother – 25-year-old Rosealani Gaoa – was arrested in Ogden, Utah, on suspicion of aggravated child abuse, intentional child abuse and reckless child abuse, jail records show.

At the time, Camacho said, Gaoa’s four children and the baby’s father were all with her in Utah. Family welfare officers there then took custody of the child who was the subject of the abuse allegations. Camacho referred further questions about the nature of this case to officials in Ogden.

“We did not investigate this case nor did we have any details about it,” he said, noting that the alleged abuse took place in Utah.

A law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak publicly, said in it the victim This is Baki’s eldest sister.

After Gaoa’s arrest, the children’s father, Yusuf Dewees, 24, left Utah with the couple’s three remaining children and returned to Palmdale, officials said.

But he returned to Ogden several days later, possibly so authorities there could question him, Camacho said. Jail records show he was arrested May 7 and held without bail on suspicion of obstruction of justice and making a false statement.

The law enforcement source, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said Dewees was arrested after being questioned about Baki’s disappearance and allegedly lying to Ogden police. Camacho did not say whether the alleged obstruction resulted from the incidents in California or Utah.

Ogden police Lt. Glen Buss said Utah police first contacted Dewees and Gaoa at a homeless shelter. He referred further questions about the nature of her arrest to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and said the two departments were working together.

Sheriff’s Department officials became aware of the case after the infant’s grandmother filed a missing person report sometime around May 8. According to a news release, officers responded to the 2300 block of Carolyn Drive in Palmdale regarding her call. Camacho said the matter was referred to the department’s homicide unit a day later. On Tuesday, he said it was too early in the investigation to release information about why officials believe the child is dead or how he is believed to have died.

Searchers who began searching the landfill Tuesday were looking for “specific things,” Camacho said. But he said the search for the child’s remains could prove to be a difficult undertaking, possibly requiring cutting through layers of trash. Machines or cadaver dogs could be used for the search, he said, but “sometimes only human assistance is possible.”

On Wednesday, Camacho said officers had stopped searching the area but could resume the search later.

“If we had believed the child was still alive, we would have asked the public for help,” Camacho said. “But unfortunately that is not the case at this point. Now we’re just trying to provide closure for the family.”

The remaining two children in California have since been removed by child protection officials, Camacho said. It was not clear why the family was in Utah.