Utica Police: Infant’s Body Found In The Mohawk River Has Not Yet Been Positively Identified As Baby Levon Wameling

Although several news agencies are reporting that Baby Levon has been found, authorities say a positive identification of the body discovered in the Mohawk River has not yet been made.

The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's office has not released even preliminary findings regarding the infant's remains, found in the murky water near the Leland Avenue bridge.

Utica Police Sergeant Steve Hauck says that they believe that the remains found, based both on their investigation and on the specific tips received about the location of the body, are in fact those of Baby Levon Wameling.  Because of that the active search for the baby has been suspended pending the autopsy results.

Click below for the interview with Utica Police Sergeant Steve Hauck on WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning:

Hauck said that the condition of the corpse made an immediate identification impossible, but could not speculate as to how long the body had been in the water.  Baby Levon, then nine months old, has been missing since May 29, 2013.

Mother Amy Warney was in a rehabilitation facility in Albany when her youngest son was left in the care of friends and his father, Javon Wameling.  Javon waited two weeks before reporting the baby's disappearance to authorities.  Wameling was arrested late last week by New York State Police on unrelated burglary charges.

Sergeant Hauck says they do not believe Javon Wameling's story that he left Levon on his front steps after having locked himself out of the house.  However, Wameling has not been officially named as a suspect in the case.