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TIMELINE: Police search for body of missing mother; man arrested Friday

7 years 9 months 1 week ago Friday, June 10 2016 Jun 10, 2016 June 10, 2016 11:20 AM June 10, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Police have arrested Robert Marks, 39, in connection with a mother's disappearance Thursday.  

Marks, police said Friday morning, was charged with aggravated kidnapping of a child and child desertion.  Detectives said Marks and the missing woman, Lyntell Washington, were in a romantic relationship and she was pregnant with his child.  Police said Marks took Washington’s three-year-old daughter for a ride Wednesday night and left her unattended in a parking lot at 11832 Newcastle Avenue where she was found Thursday morning.

Detectives believe foul play is involved in the disappearance of Lyntell Washington, 40.

The child told detectives that "Mr. Robbie" hurt her mother and her mother is now "sleeping," according to arrest records. The child also stated in an interview that she heard a "bang" and after the bang "her mother was shaking." She also stated that her "mom's in the lake," and it was dark when her mom got hurt. 

Detectives are using cell phone records to track ATT mobile phones. The phones traveled to Ramah around 9:45 p.m. and remained in the location for 15 minutes before returning to Baton Rouge. Marks then traveled to Newcastle.

Friday morning, police sent the dive team to search the Atchafalaya Basin.  Crews arrived around 10 a.m. and launched from Ramah.  Sources told WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto, technology led them here but police are not going into greater detail.  Search crews have not found anything yet and are currently coming up with a game plan.

Divers searched a 6 mile area near Ramah and the Atchafalaya River Basin for hours Friday afternoon. Divers wrapped up the search around 5:50 p.m. Police have not said whether divers found anything.

The man who found the child told WBRZ News 2, the child was wandering the street near Sherwood Forest Boulevard. The child pointed to a nearby car where the witness said he found a puddle of blood.

"I said, 'excuse me young lady, where's your parents,'" Leslie Parms explained. "She just kind of looked around in a daze...and as she walked to [the] car, I called police."

Parms said the Baton Rouge Police Homicide Division was called to the scene and began marking evidence on the pavement and taking a closer look inside the car.

"You just look at the blood pool, I knew someone, something, really bad happened to someone, and it wasn't going to be good at all," Parms says.

BRPD said the child appeared unharmed and was united with family.

Police said Washington and the child lived near the area off Sherwood Forest.

The East Baton Rouge School System confirmed Washington is an instructional specialist at Brookstown Middle School. Marks works as assistant principal at the same school, having already been placed on administrative leave as a result of his arrest. Marks was in his first years of employment at the school.

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