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$5K reward to find Houston-area mother accused of abandoning baby boy on relative’s doorstep

Crime Stoppers and HPD are offering money and ‘urgently’ asking for help to find 23-year-old Loretta Faye Norwood

April 19, 2024: Loretta Faye Norwood is wanted on charges of child abandonment. She's accused of leaving her 8-month-old son on the doorstep of a relative's home. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

A $5K reward is being offered for help finding the young Harris County mother accused of abandoning her baby boy in a car seat outside his paternal grandmother’s home last month, with no intention of coming back.

Loretta Faye Norwood, 23, is charged with abandoning a child without intent to return.

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Surveillance video shows a person police believe is Norwood, walking up to the home on Winthrop Lane in SE Houston with a car seat in hand. That was around 12:10 a.m. on March 21. You also hear the woman crying and talking to a man in a white sedan. She places the 8-month-old infant, strapped in his car seat, near the doorstep, gets back in the car, and drives off.

Court documents show that 40 minutes later, Norwood texted the baby’s father, Ismail ‘Halo’ Hailey this message: “Your son outside, tell your mom to get him. Don’t leave your son outside. He is there. After the DNA, you can get his papers. Better get your son from out because he there Halo.”

Hailey told police he didn’t know if the baby was his and he didn’t see the text until 8 a.m.

Police picked up the baby and several family members identified him along with his mother. Those same family members told police that just two weeks earlier, Norwood posted bail on a robbery charge in Fort Bend County.

Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department’s Special Victims Division teamed up on the reward, hoping for help from the public.


Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case.

You can call 713-222-TIPS or report online at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.


SEE ALSO: Missing children in the Houston area


About the Author
Karen Araiza headshot

Houston bred and super excited to be back home! I grew up in The Heights with my 8 brothers and sisters and moved back in 2024. My career as a journalist spans a lot of years -- I like to say there's a lot of tread on these tires! I'm passionate about helping people. I also really love sharing success stories and stories of redemption. Email me!

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