By Brian C. Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

WARREN — Who’s got the birthday boy?

The answer to that question, police said, was no one, as a birthday party for a 3-year-old Warren boy apparently took a bizarre turn on March 13 when those assembled left a Warren Caesarland pizzeria without the child and allegedly failed to inquire about his whereabouts for nearly two days.

“It’s pretty bizarre,” Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said. “They have this birthday party for the 3-year-old. It starts at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and ends at around 7 p.m. Everybody leaves. There were about 20 people that were there at the party, including the mother and father, the grandmother, and some relatives and friends.”

Everybody left, police said, except the boy, who was reportedly found unattended at about 9 p.m. by a manager of the restaurant, near Hoover and Engleman.

“He (the manager) actually goes around to everybody that is in there and says, ‘Do you know who this is?’” Dwyer said.

Police said the boy’s 41-year-old father and 33-year-old mother — who both live in Warren, in different apartments at the same complex — didn’t start asking questions of their own until the next day.

“The mother had apparently called the father Sunday and asked if he had the 3-year-old. He said, ‘I don’t have him.’ She calls the grandmother and she said she didn’t have him,” Dwyer said. “She does nothing.”

Meanwhile, the boy was collected by police and turned over to Child Protective Services. He remained in foster care as the investigation continued.

Police said the mother called Caesarland on March 15 to inquire about the boy. The father reportedly went there to ask about him in person.

Dwyer said the parents never contacted Warren police, who were alerted to the situation by Caesarland corporate security officers.

Investigators said both parents claimed they believed the other had the boy.

“It’s outrageous, disturbing. I’ve never heard of something like this, where you have a birthday party for a 3-year-old and everyone forgets about him,” Dwyer said.

Both parents were interviewed by detectives, who were due to present the findings of their investigation to prosecutors this week. The parents could face charges ranging from varying degrees of child neglect to child abandonment, a 10-year felony.

You can reach Staff Writer Brian C. Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1089.