Michigan toddler survives nearly 2 days locked in father’s impounded vehicle

Content warning: This article describes child endangerment and abuse. Please take care while reading.

A Michigan 13-month-old boy spent nearly two days trapped in his father’s impounded vehicle, authorities say. Police found the boy, and after treating him at a local hospital, officials say he’s in stable condition and expected to recover.

According to local reports citing Michigan police, the boy’s father, Orlander Murnell Linson Jr., 35, allegedly left his son inside a vehicle parked in the 20600 block of Damman Street in Harper Woods, a Detroit suburb, on Feb. 27, 2026. The vehicle remained there for hours, and around 3:30 p.m. that same day, Harper Woods police responded to a call about a potentially abandoned and illegally parked car.

Officers said they did not see anyone inside the vehicle and, because the car was locked, did not search its interior. The vehicle was towed to a private impound lot in Eastpointe and stored there overnight.

The missing child

Meanwhile, the toddler’s mother reported him missing to the Detroit Police Department on Feb. 28, after realizing her son was unaccounted for. A detective traced the abandoned car to the Tow Yard on Lexington Street in Eastpointe by using its license plate and vehicle identification number, according to law enforcement. They located the child still inside the locked car nearly two days after he was originally left there, crying and pinned between his car seat and the interior door.

During the time the toddler was in the car, temperatures in Metro Detroit were in the mid-50s during the day and high-40s at night, perhaps explaining how the child survived the ordeal without freezing.

Medics transported him to a nearby hospital, where doctors evaluated him. Officials have not released detailed medical records but report he is in stable condition and expected to fully recover.

Officials are reviewing impound procedures to determine how the boy remained inside the vehicle for so long and no one noticed.

What happened to Linson Jr.?

Prosecutors with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Linson Jr. with second‑degree child abuse and child abuse, or leaving a child in a vehicle resulting in physical harm, court records show. During his arraignment in District Court in Harper Woods, Linson Jr. was ordered held on a $100,000 cash bond and fitted with a GPS tether. 

Linson Jr. pleaded not guilty to the charges. His defense attorney argued that what happened was the result of a “bad split‑second decision.” Authorities also noted that Linson Jr. has multiple active warrants and lacks a permanent address.

Linson Jr.’s next scheduled court appearance includes a probable cause conference on March 11, 2026, and a preliminary hearing on March 18, 2026, according to filing notices from the prosecutor’s office. 

Meanwhile, Child Protective Services has been contacted and is involved in the case. The toddler remains under medical supervision as health professionals continue monitoring his recovery.