Six-month-old found dead in Riverdale dumpster, father under investigation

A six-month-old boy was found dead in a dumpster near an apartment complex in Riverdale, Georgia, on Tuesday, two days after his father reported him missing and alleged the infant had been taken during an armed robbery, authorities said. Clayton County police have identified the father, 38-year-old Antonio Pearce, as a suspect in the child's disappearance and are investigating the death, while the infant’s twin sibling remained safe with the mother.

Police said Pearce was arrested on unrelated charges on Oct. 12 in Riverdale and initially told officers he had been robbed at gunpoint and that the assailants removed the baby from a car seat carrier as they fled. Detectives said they found inconsistencies in Pearce’s account and became suspicious. Investigators also briefly questioned Pearce’s girlfriend as they searched for the missing infant, officials said.

Officers continued canvassing the Riverdale apartment complex on Oct. 14, and the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the infant was discovered dead near the complex that day. The medical examiner has not yet released a cause of death, and police said the investigation is ongoing. Pearce has not been charged in...