DELEON SPRINGS, Fla. – A couple reported missing from Indiana turned up in Volusia County, along with a stolen van and an unidentified baby, according to deputies.
Deputies arrested Lincoln Germana, 28, and Amanda Germana, 26, Thursday in DeLeon Springs after detectives in Johnson County, Indiana, alerted the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office that a cellphone belonging to the couple had been pinged in the area, according to an incident report.
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Investigators said the two were seen returning to a stolen Penske moving van, which had a license plate stolen from another cargo van. The couple had a stroller with them, records show, but family members had told detectives that Amanda Germana had a miscarriage during her most recent pregnancy and had not, to their knowledge, given birth since then, making it unclear to whom the baby belonged.
Investigators said they surrounded the vehicle and ordered the couple out of the van. Once both were secured, deputies said they searched the vehicle and found the baby in the cargo area of the van in a car seat that was secured with a bungee cord. Records show there were several items inside the cargo area that were not secured properly and could have injured the infant. Deputies added that the van had a foul odor due to the amount of dirty clothes and used diapers inside.
At the time of the arrest, investigators said Amanda Germana spontaneously said that the child was not hers. They added that Lincoln Germana said the child’s name was “Emanuel Rodriguez,” but Amanda Germana called the child “John.”
Investigators said that since the arrest, the couple has claimed the child is theirs, explaining that it was a home birth so there were no records.
Deputies said they will use DNA to determine the child’s parentage. The infant is being cared for by the Department of Children and Families pending investigation.
Both face a charge of child neglect. Lincoln Germana also faces a charge of grand theft.