GUILTY IN - Mercedes Lain, 11 mos, extreme danger Plymouth, 12 Aug 2021 *3 Arrests, includes parents*

[katydid23]

It is really bad when we find the adult but the baby is still missing and the adult does not come up with the baby's current location.
I have a bad feeling about this. Does this 'babysitter' even know how to take care of an 11 month old. Babies are pretty fragile. They can get dehydrated, over heated, under nourished, very quickly and easily. They can also choke on food or small objects, if no one is watching.

 

[rainwaterstill]

11-month-old Mercedes Lain still missing

From the article:

"Anyone that has had contact with Justin Miller, Tiffany Coburn, Kenneth Lain, or Mercedes Lain during that time, or even the week prior, (BBM) should contact the Plymouth Police Department at 574-936-2126 or 911. "

" That time" referred to in the article is referring to Thursday night through Sunday morning.

The newspaper covers the cities/towns of Plymouth and Culver. It covers Starke County, as well as news stories from surrounding counties.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Aw, Mercedes is such a cute baby.
Shameful that her parents didn't get their acts together when they found out she was on the way.
Shameful they chose this "babysitter" instead of leaving her with a responsible relative. Or they could have asked a responsible female aquaintance to take care of her, said it would just be for a quick appointment, and then gone away for a few days. She would have been fine.
This is so tragic.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

OMG, why do so many families only keep foster children for a short time? Why are so many children bounced around instead of someone committing long-term to helping them?

 

[oviedo]

Log into Facebook

WNDU out of south Bend/ Mishawaka
Comments……

 

[katydid23]

OMG, why do so many families only keep foster children for a short time? Why are so many children bounced around instead of someone committing long-term to helping them?

It is not always up to the foster families. Sometimes CPS is the one shifting things around. My close friend was a Foster Mom for many years.
Sometimes CPS came to her with certain situations---maybe siblings that needed to stay together for example. So she would take 4 kids at once to keep them together, but if they had different fathers, sometimes 2 would eventually be moved to a family situation and 2 would stay with her.

That opens ups 2 spaces so maybe CPS then comes and says we have 2 teens that are not doing well in their current placement, can few try them here with you?

So it is not always just Foster families making the decisions.

But my friend did have to shift some of her charges back to the system to find new placements some times. Because if you have several kids at one time, like she always did, then you have to stay loyal to the kids you have had the longest. You have worked with them and they are settled and thriving. So if you take 2 siblings in, and they are very disruptive, and messing up the rest of the family cohesion, you have to think of the children you have already been bonding with.

It is better to disrupt a new placement by saying it wasn't a good fit, then ruining a long term placement that has been working through their PTSD and trauma for the past year.

 

[oviedo]

On the hoping side....the "babysitter" may have dropped the baby off with a friend, relative, ex? and now that person is afraid to come forward? If he doesn't remember though - that's problematic. I wonder who the person is that saw the baby at 12:30am in Mishawaka that day? It's an odd time of day to see a baby out and about, isn't it? It's been 5 days - Where is this baby girl?

 

[rainwaterstill]

OMG, why do so many families only keep foster children for a short time? Why are so many children bounced around instead of someone committing long-term to helping them?

Because social workers/CPS do not want the foster children to become attached emotionally to their foster families.

 

[Hope32]

I will have to find it or maybe it has been posted, but Mercedes was confirmed to last have been seen around 12:30 pm in Mishawaka (about 45 minutes north of Plymouth and next to South Bend).

"The alert was issued Sunday, asking the public to help find Mercedes Lain, an 11-month-old girl who was last seen in Mishawaka early Saturday morning. She was reported missing to police Sunday."
Parents, another man, held on neglect charges as search for baby girl continues

"UPDATE: The FBI has released new information on where/when a missing 11-month-old from Plymouth was last seen.

• Mercedes Lain was last seen at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 14, 2021, in Mishawaka, Indiana.
• Mercedes was last seen wearing a white onesie with pink trim.

She may be in extreme danger and in need of medical assistance. Anyone with information is asked to call 911."
UPDATE: FBI releases new details in case of missing Plymouth 11-month-old

 

[MrsWatson]

Seen where in Mishawaka at 12:30 in the morning?

LE could at least give a neighborhood?

 

[Hope32]

I’d like to know the answer too. Locals are so important.
Mishawaka, IN
Google Maps
Counties map:
View attachment 309334
MERCEDES LAIN | Federal Bureau of Investigation

I live in Indianapolis now, but grew up in South Bend and still know Northern Indiana...

 

[Hope32]

Seen where in Mishawaka at 12:30 in the morning?

LE could at least give a neighborhood?

Mishawaka doesn't necessarily have "neighborhoods" There a few smaller towns like River Park that is like 12 blocks of Mishawaka between it and South Bend. For the most part all areas in No. Indiana are their own cities Municipalities. The majority of St. Joseph county would be Farm or South Bend/Mishawaka which from south to north is about 30 minutes drive. In Starke you have Knox and Plymouth. Marshall County has Plymouth, Bremen area...

 

[oviedo]

Seen where in Mishawaka at 12:30 in the morning?

LE could at least give a neighborhood?

exactly - who is up and about at 12:30am? What is open? Bars, liquor stores, drug stores, 24 hour walmarts, and what are people awake and doing at this hour? bars and liquor stores - known drug hangouts - what else?

Who reported the baby sighting? it's been 5 days - 3 are in custody - where is this baby?

There are subdivisions, downtown areas (River Park, Merrifield Park), city center, rural areas - it's pretty diverse.
---

Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River, in Penn Township, St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Mishawaka is a principal city of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Wikipedia

Log In or Sign Up to View

Mishawaka, IN Real Estate Market Data - NeighborhoodScout

1. Fir Rd / Cleveland Rd
2. Douglas Rd / Fir Rd
3. Douglas Rd / Elm Rd
4. Hi-View Addition
5. Lincoln Way E / Capital Ave
6. Jefferson Blvd / Elder Rd
7. Dragoon Trl / Downey Ave
8. Trine U-South Bend Regional Campus / Fir Rd
9. E 12Th St / S Merrifield Ave
10. City Center

 

[Knox]

Max Lewis[URL='https://twitter.com/MaxLewisTV']@MaxLewisTV[/URL]
4h
Despite some online rumors, 11-month-old Mercedes Lain is still missing. I'm told that the investigators from all the agencies, including the state police and the FBI, are meeting right now and they will let us know if there are any changes to the status of the investigation.

https://twitter.com/MaxLewisTV/status/1427973801221005316

 

[Knox]

Leanne Tokars[URL='https://twitter.com/LTokarsWSBT']@LTokarsWSBT[/URL]
Police arrest parents of missing baby from Plymouth, as search expands. 11 month old Mercedes Lain was last seen Saturday in Mishawaka with Justin Miller. Miller and the baby's parents now faces child neglect charges. More on #WSBT22 First in the Morning. https://wsbt.com/news/local/watch-live-police-to-update-public-on-missing-plymout-baby…

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators from all the agencies involved in the case, including the state police and the FBI, met Wednesday morning, and say they will let us know if there are any changes to the status of the investigation.

Police say Mercedes went missing From Plymouth's Economy Inn on Thursday, but was spotted again on Saturday in Mishawaka. A Silver Alert was declared Sunday for the missing 11-month-old.

People gathered in Plymouth Tuesday night to pray for Mercedes's safe return.

"The family mainly just wants her home safe, that's what the community wants," said Lyndsie Warren, a friend of the family. "It's obviously shaken the whole community. Plymouth is a small, close-knit town and if we can all come together, we can get her home."
11-month-old girl still missing despite some online rumors

 

[cvaldez1975]

Who the heck leaves their baby with someone to babysit for “a few days”

tweekers

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Leanne Tokars@LTokarsWSBT
Police arrest parents of missing baby from Plymouth, as search expands. 11 month old Mercedes Lain was last seen Saturday in Mishawaka with Justin Miller. Miller and the baby's parents now faces child neglect charges. More on #WSBT22 First in the Morning. https://wsbt.com/news/local/watch-live-police-to-update-public-on-missing-plymout-baby…

Poor Baby "Their stories aren't adding up". SMH. I wonder what condition ML was in during all that time,and even before. Was she being fed,diapered, bathed???

 

[Knox]

Brief Update from Chief Bacon on Mercedes Lain

Posted by Kathy Bottorff in News
Updated at 2:28 pm on August 18, 2021

Plymouth Police Chief Dave Bacon released an update on the investigation into the missing 11-month-old Mercedes Lain. The news release states:

“Officers and agents from all agencies involved continue to investigate the case of Mercedes Lain. Investigators are continuing to look at various areas in Marshall, Starke, and St. Joseph counties, to include the Mishawaka area which is where Mercedes was last seen during the very early morning hours of Saturday, August 14th. Anyone with information concerning Mercedes Lain is urged to contact 911 or Michiana Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867.”

 

[cvaldez1975]

11-month-old Mercedes Lain still missing

From the article:

"Anyone that has had contact with Justin Miller, Tiffany Coburn, Kenneth Lain, or Mercedes Lain during that time, or even the week prior, (BBM) should contact the Plymouth Police Department at 574-936-2126 or 911. "

" That time" referred to in the article is referring to Thursday night through Sunday morning.

The newspaper covers the cities/towns of Plymouth and Culver. It covers Starke County, as well as news stories from surrounding counties.

that means they dont believe the time line given.