Man abandons newborn in pile of snow and is caught 950 miles away in Florida, cops say

A Virginia man accused of leaving a 13-day-old baby in the snow has been captured nearly 950 miles away in the Florida Panhandle, investigators say.

The child survived after being seen by a passerby, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 20 news release. Investigators have not said how long the baby waited for help.

Darvin Flores Caballeros, 20, was arrested on a fugitive warrant around 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, after being seen leaving an apartment in Santa Rosa Beach, the sheriff’s office said.

Caballeros was wanted for a “brutal attack on his child’s mother and abandoning an infant in the snow” on Feb. 12 in Fairfax County, Virginia, the sheriff’s office said.

“An investigation found Caballeros assaulted and strangled the victim and the victim’s 13-day-old infant was dropped during the fight,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Caballeros fled the scene on foot with the infant before officers arrived. A good Samaritan found the infant left in a pile of snow. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries after the attack.”

Investigators did not reveal why the suspect fled to Walton County or if he was being helped by someone in Santa Rosa Beach.

Caballeros’ address is listed as Falls Church, Virginia, jail records show. His charges include “malicious wounding, strangulation, two counts of child endangerment, assault and battery on a family member (and) petit larceny,” the sheriff’s office said.

Santa Rosa Beach is about a 65-mile drive east from Pensacola.

This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Man abandons newborn in pile of snow and is caught 950 miles away in Florida, cops say."