CINCINNATI — Strangers who never knew Nylo Lattimore or his mother, Nyteshia Lattimore, are still gathering to mourn the presumed death of the three-year-old, who remains missing after his mother was found dead and abandoned on Pete Rose Way in December.
After nearly three months of searching, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced on Wednesday a new murder charge against 21-year-old Desean Brown, the man already accused of killing 29-year-old Nyteisha Lattimore in early December 2020. The new indictment now accuses Brown of purposely killing Nylo, as well.
The announcement hasn't stopped members of the community from searching for the boy, or from mourning his presumed death.
"I did not know Nyteshia or Nylo, but I feel like they're my family," said Destiny Hill, who gathered with others to release balloons and leave flowers at the Ohio River where prosecutors said it's believed Nylo was put into the river, still alive, in December.
Facebook groups online have brought together people with whom Nyteshia and Nylo's stories have resonated and the groups have coordinated several searches for the toddler since it was announced he was missing after the death of his mother.
"I cried and cried and cried and cried," said June Smith. "How could someone do that to a precious baby?"
A group gathered at the Ohio River on Saturday, praying over the river with balloons and flowers, while search and rescue workers insist on continuing the search for Nylo.
"Everybody's ready, we're ready to go," said Faith Burton, who met others in a Facebook group to help find the toddler.
Smith even custom-made a mask for the occasion, emblazoned with the boy's name, the "o" in Nylo replace by a broken heart.
"Now everybody's aware of it, where we can start searching," said Hill. "We're not going to stop until he's found."
Desean Brown is scheduled for arraignment on Monday
