1-year-old found alive in Louisiana ditch a day after 4-year-old brother was found dead

A 1-year-old baby was found in a ditch nearly two days after he was believed to have been missing, having survived severe weather conditions in southwestern Louisiana, close to the Texas border.

A truck driver passing through Interstate 10 found the "miracle baby" crawling towards the highway around 9 a.m. Tuesday, a day after his 4-year-old brother was found dead in a body of water behind a welcome center in the area, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“It’s amazing that after two days, this 1-year-old kid is crawling around the interstate in a ditch,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Gary “Stitch” Guillory said during a news conference in Lake Charles Tuesday. “We refer to him as our miracle baby. It’s a miracle he’s here.”

The 1-year-old was later taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's department told USA TODAY Thursday that the boy has been released from the hospital and is in the custody of Department of Children and Family Services.

Children's mother arrested in Mississippi

Efforts to locate the infant had been underway after it was determined that the deceased 4-year-old's mother was last seen with him and his 1-year-old brother on Saturday.

The children's mother, a 25-year-old woman, was arrested hundreds of miles away in Meridian, Mississippi and charged with failure to report a missing child. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and more charges are possible, the sheriff’s office said. A coroner is assessing the 4-year-old's cause of death.

The children's names were not released.

“This is a tragic incident our detectives are currently investigating,” Guillory said in a statement. "We understand the community’s concern and are committed to ensuring justice for the children involved. CPSO detectives are actively working to gather all the information and details surrounding this case and the death of the 4-year-old. Our hearts go out to the family members of these two children.”

A state of emergency was issued in Louisiana on Tuesday after Beryl, which arrived as a tropical storm bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms, caused one death and major damage to homes and businesses, as well as massive power outages. Some parts of Louisiana were also under tornado warnings and watches this week as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl unleashed severe weather.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.