HOUSTON – A father has been charged with making a false report to an officer after he told authorities that his 6-month-old son was in the back seat of his stolen Jeep, believing it would force investigators to find the vehicle quicker, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, Anthony Ray Gray, 38, bonded out of jail Friday morning.
On Thursday, Gray left his 2018 black Jeep Cherokee Latitude running while he went to grab coffee from inside a gas station in the 22500 block of Imperial Valley around 5:05 a.m., according to authorities.
The father told deputies that, while he was inside the store, two men, possibly in their 20′s, jumped out of a red Kia Optima, got into his Jeep, and took off. He also told them that his infant son was in the stolen vehicle.
Law enforcement officers took immediate action to try and find the child, and multiple reports and breaking news alerts went out across local media stations.
The abandoned Jeep was found in the 16400 block of Eton Brook Lane, but the baby remained unaccounted for.
A short time later, the baby’s grandmother saw a report about the missing child on television and called to let authorities know she had him, and he was safe.
The boy was not inside the vehicle at the time it was stolen.
According to law enforcement sources, “it was a hoax.”
Watch the full news conference below: