Family of child found wandering Caseyville hotel is identified

Authorities have made contact with the parents of a young child who was found wandering in alone through a Caseyville hotel Tuesday morning.

The child, who is almost 3 years old, was found on the second level of the Red Lion Inn by another hotel guest. After knocking on every hotel room door, the Caseyville Police Department took to social media to ask for the public’s help identifying the child.

It must have worked, Sgt. Travis Hoguet said, because the child’s family made contact with the police Tuesday afternoon.

Hoguet said the young child appeared healthy and had multiple siblings. The St. Louis-area family was staying on the first floor of the hotel. His family said they mistakenly left him behind when they took the other children to child care and went to work, Hoguet said.

As of 2:45 p.m., the child is still with the Department of Children and Family Services, Hoguet said.

Both the Caseyville Police Department and DCFS are investigating the incident. At this time, nobody has been taken into custody and charges have not been filed, Hoguet said.

This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 2:01 PM.