A toddler’s disappearance only came to light months later after his father and sibling were both killed in a horrific car crash.
Kahleb Rowan Collins, 1, was reported unaccounted for following a crash on December 8 near his home near Winfield, Alabama, that killed his father Steven Collins, 40, and his sister Raleigh, 2.
His mother Wendy Bailey, 22, was hospitalized following the collision and remains in a critical condition.
But Marion County Sheriff’s Office now say Kahleb had vanished months before the smash, with his disappearance finally exposed by the accident.
According to Alabama State Troopers the family’s Toyota Tacoma, driven by Collins, left the roadway at a speed of 92mph and collided with a tree.
Grim photos showed the truck torn in two by the force of the impact.
Later the same day, the local sheriff’s office was told that the couple had another child who was unaccounted for according to a press release.
Investigators were stunned to discover the little boy hasn’t been seen since early September, according to an emergency missing child alert issued on Tuesday.
Authorities have also arrested his grandfather John Elton Bailey, 55, who was charged last week with failure to report a missing child.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by USA Today, Bailey admitted to officers the boy hasn’t been seen in months.
The outlet also report that the complaint indicates that Kahleb could have been harmed or taken from his home.
His grandfather remains in jail in Fayette County and he is being kept on a $100,000 bond.
Bailey has been charged under a statue that applies to custodians, with an unknown relative telling WBRC that Bailey had been living with his daughter and her family.
Court records also indicate that the Alabama Department of Human Resources were involved with the family, to which extent remains unclear due to privacy laws.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency say that Collins was ‘driving aggressively at an extreme rate of speed’ when he collided with the tree.
They say that the vehicle began to spin clockwise and hit the tree with the rear driver side hitting first.
A crash report seen by WBRC says that: ‘The force of the collision caused the vehicle to spin counter-clockwise around the tree, coming to final rest facing northwest.’
The state trooper who responded to the scene noted that the road was wet and that Steven Collins had been ejected from the vehicle.
It is unclear if he was wearing a seat belt.
His young daughter Raleigh was unrestrained in the vehicle and sustained ‘fatal injuries during the crash.
Bailey , who was seated in the front passenger seat, was ejected from the driver’s door according to the report.
Bailey was airlifted to hospital where she remains, while Collins was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators found that the truck was being ‘operated aggressively when the crash occurred’.
On Thursday, officers with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office were seen gathered at the family home as they continue to look for the boy.