Search Continues For Miami-Dade Newborn; Father Found Dead

MIAMI, FL — The search continued for a missing Miami-Dade newborn late Wednesday while his 49-year-old father was found dead from what police described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a rural area of central Florida about 35 miles from Tampa, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

"At this time there is no sign of the baby," Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco told reporters Wednesday night. "Our best hope right now — and what we're praying for — is that he handed the baby off to somebody. There was no car seats in that vehicle."

The sheriff said it would have been difficult for Ernesto Caballeiro to travel so far away from Miami-Dade County with his week-old newborn, Andrew, without a car seat in the white Ford van.

Police issued an amber alert Wednesday morning for Caballeiro and his baby. The van was spotted at 12:27 p.m. Wednesday about three miles from Interstate 75.

"About 50 yards from the vehicle in a wooded area, they discovered the deceased individual" suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a rifle, the sheriff said of the elder Caballeiro.

"Inside the vehicle ... there was old receipts that weren't from within the past 24 hours," the sheriff said. "There was a pacifier. After we swabbed it for forensics, we did a search. We had the bloodhounds out there searching. There was no indication that the child was in the area."

One person told police he saw a blonde woman in the truck at one point Tuesday, according to the sheriff.

"I sit here and pray to God that that is true, and she has the baby," Nocco said. "If that is a true fact, and that woman is out there, please come forward. I promise you all we care about is that little Andrew is OK."

Nocco said a pickaxe may have been removed from the truck at one point. "If there is anybody who might have seen a pickaxe along the roadway, anywhere — a freshly dug site — let us know," the sheriff said.

Miami-Dade police asked for help in finding Caballeiro after three women were found dead by a family member around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday of gunshot wounds inside a home in the 21900 block of SW 187th Avenue.

WPLG-TV reported that the victims were possibly the baby's 40-year-old mother, 60-year-old grandmother and 84-year-old great grandmother.

"The family member discovered the deceased females while checking on their welfare," Miami-Dade police said earlier. "The family member advised that a newborn infant which should have been at the home is now missing."

Detective Lee Cowart of the Miami-Dade Police Department told reporters that Caballeiro was related to at least one and possibly all three of the women who were found shot to death.

The Pasco Sheriff's Office said police were continuing to search for the child over a large swath of land as they cautioned motorists to stay away.

To report a tip, call 9-1-1 or call Miami-Dade police at 305-471-2400.