A Philadelphia woman is asking for help finding her 2-year-old son who has been missing since Sunday.
The child's mother, Beverly Thorpe, told police her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Tyrone E. Rowland, picked Dashawn Thorpe up from Precious Moments Daycare located at Germantown and Lehigh avenues in North Philadelphia last Wednesday.
She said Rowland agreed to return the toddler to her home on the 2400 block of N. 11th Street on Sunday, but failed to do so.
"This is my life, this is my heart," she said. "And you don't just take him and not bring him back."
The suspect, who she broke up with four months ago, was not her son's biological, but he considered himself the boy's father figure, she said.
"He's been a part of my son's life since I was pregnant carrying him," she said.
Thorpe says she called and texted the suspect and he did not immediately respond.
Rowland contacted her Monday, saying he would return her son the next day, Thorpe said. When Rowland and the child did not show up Tuesday, she called authorities.
The suspect has contacted the mother sporadically via Facebook with messages that have Allentown as the location stamp, she said.
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In the most recent message sent at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Rowland wrote he plans to return Dashawn to his mother Friday. But, Thorpe says, she does not believe him and is concerned because her ex-boyfriend will not put her son on the phone.
Police have issued a warant for Rowland's arrest.
"Just bring him home safe," Thorpe said. "I just want my baby home with me. That's all I want."
