Toddler Missing After Car Gets Swept Away by Floodwaters

Relatives of a 2-year-old boy are desperately searching for him after he went missing when his family’s car was caught in floodwaters in Barstow, Calif.

According to family members, Brandon Padilla was driving with his toddler son on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 18. While trying to cross a flooded area of a road on Main Street, Padilla’s vehicle got swept up in the waters, Fox affiliate KTTV, CW affiliate KTLA, ABC affiliate KABC and Victor Valley News reported.  

Brandon was later rescued and taken to a hospital. Meanwhile, his son, identified by family members as Xavier, is missing. 

Leeanna Kay, who identified herself as Xavier’s aunt, pleaded for help in the search for the boy in a Friday, Sept. 19, Facebook post, where she shared photos of him. 

“Please help us bring him home!” Kay wrote. “We need every prayer and every person available to help us look! We need your help for this little baby! He is a two year old and he needs you!”

She added, “Please help us! Im [sic] begging everyone available to help our family ! We need every person who can search to help we need everyone who can pray to pray we need all the help please.”

The Thursday evening search for Xavier involved various agencies, including San Bernardino County Fire, Barstow Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol, Victor Valley news reported. 

Kay told KABC that the police suspended the search until early Friday morning.  

“We have a bunch of volunteers out here who are still looking,” Kay said. “If you guys can, if you live in the area, if you have bright lights… anything that can help us look through the dirt, the mud – anything to help us look for him and find him, we greatly appreciate it.”

Kay also told KTTV that Xavier has non-verbal autism, adding, “We need all the help we can get.”

In another Facebook update Friday morning, Kay said that the search is ongoing.

“He’s the sweetest baby and has been missing since around 6:40ish pm!” she wrote. “Please help us we are worried sick and want him home! if you can help us by looking or praying or offering more search parties we need all the help!”

Xavier is described as measuring nearly 4 feet tall and weighing 28 lbs., with curly brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and pants and black-and-white Nike shoes.

Family members also said Xavier recently celebrated his birthday on Monday, Sept. 15, Victor Valley News reported.

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The incident happened in the wake of Tropical Storm Mario, which affected Southern California.

PEOPLE contacted the Barstow Police Department and Kay for comment on Friday.

“Dear Heavenly Father I pray to you now to ask that you grant our family this miracle,” Kay wrote in a separate social media post. “We just laid our grandma to rest please Heavenly Father hear our prayers hear us as we beg of you to grant us this miracle. Please. We need to find my nephew. Please. Heavenly Father help us find my nephew safe and sound and bring him home please.”