Delano’s father, Willie Wilson, told police Delano was kidnapped in the 1400 block of Henry Street, near Harding Street, in Indianapolis, Indiana at noon on August 27, 2014.
He stated he was taking the baby for a walk, carrying it, when a Caucasian male and a Hispanic female driving a blue four-door 2000 to 2003 model Ford Taurus with scratches on the bumper robbed him of $57 and then beat and pistol-whipped him until he passed out.
When he woke up approximately ten to fifteen seconds later, his assailants were gone and Delano was missing. He saw their car pulling away southbound on south Harding Street from Henry Street.
Willie described the male abductor as between 25 and 30 years old, of medium build with short brown hair and no tattoos or piercings. He was wearing a black do-rag, a red t-shirt, blue denim shorts and red and black sneakers. He threatened Willie with a .380 pistol. The female abductor was also between 25 and 30, and thin with long brown hair. She was wearing blue jeans, a lime green shirt and matching green hoop earrings.
Police issued an Amber Alert and searched for Delano and his abductors. In the aftermath of the baby’s disappearance, Willie was charged with possession of marijuana; he was carrying some and the police found it when they searched him after he reported the abduction.
He had also been carrying two cellular phones; the robbers didn’t take them. Police who responded to the scene noted he didn’t have any visible injuries to his head and face.
In February 2015, Willie was charged with the baby’s murder.
He and Delano’s mother, Taniasha Perkins, lived in the 500 block of Chase Street, one and a half blocks from where the baby was said to have been taken, and a neighbor reported having heard an argument at their apartment at about 3:00 a.m. on the day of Delano’s supposed abduction.
Delano’s mother stated that due to colic and constipation, the baby had been unusually fussy and Willie stayed up all night on August 26-27 trying to get him to sleep. She and her brother repeatedly denied that any argument or disturbance had taken place in the early morning hours, but Perkins later admitted she had yelled at Willie about taking care of the baby.
Video surveillance cameras at area businesses showed Willie walking on Henry Street just one minute before he called 911; he didn’t have a baby with him and was in fact not carrying anything in his hands. The cameras also didn’t show the presence of any car matching the description of the abduction vehicle.
On one of the cellular phones Willie had been carrying, earlier in the day of Delano’s disappearance, someone had done internet searches for information about missing children and the abduction of infants. Investigators found blood traces in the family’s apartment, and tracker dogs traced both Delano’s scent and Willie’s scent to a wooded area on the west side of the city.
Willie was tried for the murder in October 2016. The case against him was almost entirely circumstantial. He was acquitted of all charges and released from custody.
Delano’s family still hopes to recover his body and get some resolution in his case. Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.
