JACKSONVILLE, FL (WTXL) - A missing toddler case out of Jacksonville is now being treated as a murder investigation.
The sheriff's office saying the suspect in the toddlers death is Ruben Ebron, who was taking care of Lonzie Barton when he went missing.
Investigators say Bbron told them he took Lonzie and his five-year-old sister to pick up their mother from work around two a-m.
Ebron, who is the mother's boyfriend, says he was getting ready to leave the apartment complex, but ran back for something, leaving the two kids in the running car.
Officials say Ebron claims he saw someone taking his orange Honda Civic. Police found the car, but not Lonzie.
The sheriff's office in Jacksonville said Tuesday that they believe Ebron abducted the toddler, and they will not remove the Amber Alert unless they can prove that is not the case.
The sheriff's office says they have received more than a hundred tips on Lonzie's location, and that nearly 200 people have been involved in the search effort.
