GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Brown County authorities say they are looking for more information about a five-year-old child who has not been seen in months.
The child’s mother, 26-year-old Sagal Hussein, was arrested last week. Investigators say they found a body inside her vehicle.
The investigation into Josias Marquez’s whereabouts began on Jan. 26 when officers responded to a residence in the 2000 block of Riverview Dr. in Howard.
A neighbor reported that two children, ages 2 and 6, were outside unsupervised.
When officers responded, the older child said they did not know where their mother was and that she left last night.
Initially when authorities spoke to the mother, 26-year-old Sagal Hussein, she told them she was only gone running errands for about 10 minutes. At the time, officers said there was some inconsistencies with her story. When confronted, Hussein told officers she was probably gone for about 40 minutes.
Officers also learned Hussein had a third child, 5-year-old Josias Marquez, who Hussein said at the time, was living with his biological father. They learned Josias has a disability and is described as “high-needs.”
Officers notified Brown County Child Protective Services (CPS) and the two children were placed with Hussein’s mother, pending further investigation.
For the next several weeks, investigators say they tried to get into contact with Josias. CPS was told Josias was with his father out of state, however Hussein never provided CPS with an address or phone number for identification.
On March 27, deputies say they received information which directly contradicted Hussein’s statement about the identity of Josias’ father. When investigators went to speak with Hussein, she told then she did not have the means to contact Josias and that she hadn’t seen her son since Jan. 9 when his father came and picked him up.
Investigators say on March 30, Hussein was taken into custody due to her inaccuracies and lack of cooperation. CPS took custody of her other two children.
A search warrant was issued for her residence and her vehicle.
On March 31, deputies say technicians at the State Crime Lab in Madison found a corpse inside Hussein’s vehicle.
An autopsy was performed on the corpse but identification has not yet been confirmed.
Hussein appeared in court on April 1 where a $500,00 cash bond was set. She is due back in court on April 15.
At this time, deputies say Hussein is the only person they have talked to who has said they have seen Josias since Nov. 25, 2019.
If anyone has seen Josias since Nov. 25, 2019 or have witnessed any abuse or neglect to Josias or to his other siblings, they are asked to contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
