SARASOTA COUNTY, FL (WFLA) – Sarasota deputies believe they have found Chance Walsh. They located the infant’s body Thursday.
Forensic teams with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office have been searching for missing baby Chance Walsh until Thursday afternoon. Officials say on Wednesday, detectives arrived to an area near Wylam Drive and English Circle and have been on scene ever since. Eagle 8 HD saw numerous deputies and forensic teams exploring the area.
Deputies said they had received a tip regarding this location.
Sarasota Sheriff Tom Knight said they were hoping to find Chance alive. They found the body Thursday afternoon. Detectives will continue to investigate the case.
“Our job is to make sure we do the best job possible to bring people to justice and to give justice to a child,” Sheriff Knight said.
9-week-old Chance Walsh was last seen on Sept. 9 in North Port but authorities have been unaware if the baby was alive or dead. Chance’s parents were arrested last week on charges of child neglect in South Carolina and are currently waiting extradition back to Florida.
“I cannot give out any additional information at this time regarding the death of this child,” Sheriff Knight said. “All I can tell you is that….we’ll get it resolved.”
Over the past month, the parents, Joseph Walsh and Kristen Bury, have been very evasive with family members. Last week, the couple traveled to South Carolina where they got into a car accident. They told contradicting stories to family members about Chance’s well-being. They said the baby was killed in the crash and also said they gave the baby away to a stranger.
Authorities met a woman staying at a hotel in Augusta, Georgia who reported that Bury tried to sell baby clothes to her, claiming the baby had died three weeks earlier. Investigators confirmed that the couple stayed in hotels in Augusta, but there was no evidence they had a baby with them. There was also no evidence that there was a baby or even a car seat in the vehicle during the South Carolina car crash.
While searching for Chance in Sarasota County, officials discovered the scent of possible human remains at the home. They also found evidence of blood splatter in the home.
