The grandmother of two boys found along Interstate 10 near Vinton this week says she is heartbroken and doesn't understand why her daughter might have hurt the children.
UPDATE: Mom of 4-year-old found dead, 1-year-rescued on I-10 accused of murder, sheriff's office says
Conswella Jack, who lives in Lake Charles, had been helping care for the boys — a 4-year-old whose body was found behind an I-10 welcome center and his 1-year-old brother, who was found alive along the interstate.
“I was so blessed to hear the baby survived but also so hurt because one is now gone,” Jack said through tears.
Aaliyah Jack, Conswella Jack's daughter and the boys' mother, had fallen on hard times, according to Jack, and she, along with the boys' paternal grandmother had stepped in to help.
On Saturday, Aaliyah Jack met her mother, who was in Lafayette for Conswella Jack's mother's repast, to spend time with the children, Kingtrail, 1, and Legend, 4. That's when Aaliyah Jack fled with the boys, Conswella Jack said.
"The next day, which was Sunday, after trying to call her, she finally reaches out to me, but it's a text," Conswella Jack said. "She sent me a picture of a car in some bushes that kind of looked like it was wrecked.
“I was confused, so I called, called and called, and could not reach her," Jack said.
On Monday morning, Legend's body was found in a lake behind the Vinton Welcome Center. Police say there were no obvious signs of foul play.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office released information about the body being found on their Facebook page, a family member called to identify the boy, and police began looking for Aaliyah Jack and 1-year-old Kingtrail, authorities said.
Aaliyah Jack was found hundreds of miles away in Meridian, Mississippi, and was arrested on a charge of failure to report a missing child.
The 1-year-old was not with Aaliyah Jack, but was found Tuesday morning after a trucker reported seeing the baby in a ditch on I-10 eastbound near the 10-mile marker, Calcasieu Sheriff Stitch Guillory said.
The child's rescue, described as a miracle, was discussed in detail at a news conference Tuesday afternoon as Guillory updated the public on Kingtrail's health, as well as the death of Legend and the arrest of the children's mother.
"Thank God that trucker seen him," Guillory told reporters during the news conference.
"We looked at this 1-year-old as our miracle baby because he was still alive," he said. "Unbelievable."
Both boys were found after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas and brought winds, rain and flooding to the area.
"This kid spent two days out in the weather, on the side of the highway. ... When you look at the video, here he was, crawling toward the highway," Guillory said.
Aaliyah Jack has no criminal history, according to Guillory and Calcasieu Parish court records.
Conswella Jack said her daughter still had legal custody of the children, but they had a mutual agreement with Aaliyah Jack to keep the kids until she was able to get on her feet following an April incident that led to Aaliyah Jack fleeing to Baton Rouge.
"I remember asking her why she (was) in Baton Rouge, and all she said was she had nowhere else to go," Conswella Jack said.
"So Legend's grandmother went to get her and the kids from Baton Rouge, and after that, we all met up. I took Kingtrail, and Legend went with his (other) grandmother, and Aaliyah went her separate way."
Through tears, Jack said she was heartbroken by the death of her grandson.
"I just buried my mother, and now my grandson? And he's only 4 years old. Legend was so sweet and just lovable," she said.
Conswella Jack said Kingtrail was in stable condition and she was told he would be placed into state custody.
“Now I have to fight for my grandson. It’s stressful because they're gonna put me through all what I'm about to go through just to get him back. I don't even have the funds for it, so I have to do everything I can to get that baby back, because ain't nobody know him like we know him.”
And investigation is ongoing, and an autopsy on Legend will determine next steps in the criminal case against Aaliyah Jack, Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight said.