Inset left to right: Leon Alejandro, Jr. and Samantha Angeline Feliz (Richmond County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Richmond County Jail in Rockingham, N.C. (Google Maps).
A Florida couple who were on the run over the death of their baby have been captured in North Carolina, Tar Heel State authorities say.
Leon Alejandro, Jr., 21, and Samantha Angeline Feliz, 20, stand accused of one count each of aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, duty to report death to the medical examiner's office, false information concerning a missing child, and false reports to law enforcement during an investigation, according to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
The couple are being held in North Carolina on warrants out of Broward County, Florida. The defendants hail from Hollywood, Florida, a large city located roughly 20 miles north of Miami.
The "complex" investigation began in early 2025, the sheriff's office said in a press release, while taking note of the unclear timeline in the case — exact details of which remained murky.
Authorities believe Feliz gave birth to the child sometime between Dec. 6, 2024 and Jan. 5, 2025. Law enforcement alleges the "birth was concealed" and the baby was born "somewhere other than a hospital."
At some point, the baby went missing, the sheriff's office said.
"During the child's first month of life, other family members saw the couple with the baby," the press release reads. "After that, the baby was never seen again, and both parents denied that the child was theirs, claiming it was a prank."
As the investigation progressed, authorities charged both defendants, on the assumption the child had been born and subsequently died, "[d]espite the lack of an official birth certificate and medical records," the sheriff's office said.
After the warrants were issued based on violations of Florida law, the U.S. Marshals Service enlisted officials in North Carolina to help with the investigation, according to the press release.
The couple fled to Richmond County and were living on a property belonging to one of Alejandro's relatives — on Ledbetter Road in Rockingham — when they were arrested, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities did not immediately disclose how they think the baby died or its exact age at the time of death.
The defendants are currently being detained in the Richmond County Jail on fugitive of justice warrants with no bond as they await extradition to the Sunshine State.
"This is a prime example of agencies nationwide collaborating to uphold justice," Sheriff Mark B. Gulledge said in a statement.
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