Man who told police that his girlfriend's missing toddler son had been abducted when his car was stolen is ARRESTED after cops discover he was lying

  • William Ruben Ebron Jr, 32, has been arrested in connection to 21-month-old Lonzie Barton's disappearance 
  • An amber alert was issued for Lonzie on Friday after he was reported as last seen at apartments in Jacksonville
  • Ebron told police the boy was abducted from outside the apartment while inside his car when it was stolen
  • Investigators believe Ebron is lying about the child's disappearance
  • He was arrested and charged on Saturday and bail was set at $100,000
  • Lonzie and Haleigh Cummings, who vanished from her Florida home in 2009, are related, according to family member
By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 10:15 EST, 27 July 2015 | UPDATED: 16:33 EST, 27 July 2015


A man who told police that his girlfriend's missing son was abducted from outside his Florida apartment has been arrested.
William Ruben Ebron Jr, 32, had told investigators that Lonzie Barton was abducted when his car, which had the 21-month-old son inside, was stolen at 2.20am on Friday.
But investigators believe he was lying about the child's disappearance, My Fox Orlando reported.
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Investigators believe the car theft and abduction in Florida did not occur as William Ruben Ebron Jr (pictured), 32, described and believe he was lying about 21-month-old Lonzie Barton's disappearance
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An amber alert was issued for Lonzie on Friday after he was reported as last seen at Ravenwood Apartments in Jacksonville
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Investigators believe the car theft and abduction in Florida did not occur as William Ruben Ebron Jr (pictured left), 32, described and believe he was lying about 21-month-old Lonzie Barton's (right) disappearance
Ebron had told police that he had got Lonzie and his five-year-old sister ready to go pick up their mother, 25-year-old Lonna Barton, from her job at Wacko's Gentlemen's Club, when his Honda Civic was stolen with the boy still inside
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Ebron had told police that he had got Lonzie and his five-year-old sister ready to go pick up their mother, 25-year-old Lonna Barton, from her job at Wacko's Gentlemen's Club, when his Honda Civic was stolen with the boy still inside
'We now have evidence and information to the fact that the story he gave about his vehicle being stolen with the victim in the back seat was not true. We are not working this as a stranger abduction anymore,' Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney told the station.
Ebron was arrested on Saturday and was charged with two counts of child neglect, according to Fox News. His bail was set at $100,000.
An amber alert was issued for Lonzie on Friday after he was reported as last seen at Ravenwood Apartments in Jacksonville.  
Ebron had told police that he had got Lonzie and his five-year-old sister ready to go pick up their mother, 25-year-old Lonna Barton, from her job at Wacko's Gentlemen's Club.
He told officers he put both children in the car, left it running and then ran back into the apartment for something. He also told police by his own admission that he had gone inside the apartment to use cocaine, the Florida Times-Union reported.
While he was inside, the five-year-old girl came back into the apartment and told him 'she was scared', so he ran back outside to check on Lonzie.
He told authorities it was then that he saw his orange 1995 Honda Civic being driven away with the little boy inside.
Police reported that the stolen vehicle was recovered about 15 to 20 minutes later.
It was found in the 8100 block of Cesperdes Avenue, a short distance away from the apartment complex. But police did not find Lonzie inside. 

Police reported that the stolen vehicle was recovered about 15 to 20 minutes later but Lonzie was not found inside (the boy pictured above with his parents, Lonna Barton and Christopher Barton)
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Police reported that the stolen vehicle was recovered about 15 to 20 minutes later but Lonzie was not found inside (the boy pictured above with his parents, Lonna Barton and Christopher Barton)
Authorities said Lonna Barton and the boy's father, Christopher Barton, 40, were being cooperative. Police said neither of them are involved in Lonzie's disappearance
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Authorities said Lonna Barton and the boy's father, Christopher Barton, 40, were being cooperative. Police said neither of them are involved in Lonzie's disappearance
Ebron, the boyfriend of Lonzie's mom, had told police he saw his orange 1995 Honda Civic, pictured, being driven away with the little boy inside
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Ebron, the boyfriend of Lonzie's mom, had told police he saw his orange 1995 Honda Civic, pictured, being driven away with the little boy inside
A widespread manhunt was launched for the boy and K9 and air units searched the area.
Hackney said there was a car seat in the car, but there is still no evidence if he was buckled into the seat or not.
The little boy has blonde hair and blue eyes and weighs 20 pounds and was only wearing his diaper but no shoes or top.
Ebron was taken from his jail cell on Saturday to go with investigators as they searched for Lonzie.
'As the day progressed, we had information come in and some evidence that led us to the area of Phillips Highway and 295 on the south end of avenues mall,' Hackney said.
'We searched wooded areas, bodies of water and there's a mobile home park we began to search.'
On Sunday, officials from Jacksonville Sheriff's office said they, along with search crews, would be searching ponds and lakes in hopes of finding the boy.
'There is still some hope we will find Lonzie alive. As time progresses, our hope fades,' Hackney said. 
Ebron's parents spoke out after his father, William Ebron Sr, visited him in jail for around an hour.
'I'm wanting to find the baby. He's there, what comes after that, I don't know. But the baby was lost on his watch,' his mother Wanda told First Coast News.
Ebron's father, William Ebron Sr (pictured above), said he and his wife do not believe their son would intentionally do anything to harm a child
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Ebron's father, William Ebron Sr (pictured above), said he and his wife do not believe their son would intentionally do anything to harm a child
As the search for the boy continues, new information has already come to light about Ebron's violent past
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Court records show he is alleged to be a stalker and rapist, who attacked his ex-girlfriend and left her with cracked ribs
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As the search for the boy continues, new information has already come to light about Ebron's violent past. Court records show he is alleged to be a stalker and rapist, who attacked his ex-girlfriend and left her with cracked ribs
His parents said they do not believe their son would intentionally do anything to harm a child.
'He said that he and Lonna had talked marriage. He said he spent so much time with little Lonzie. He's the one that's potty trained him, he's the one doing things for him because he's watching him while she works. He stated that little Lonzie even started calling him daddy,' Ebron Sr said. 

His father also said he asked his son 'man to man' if he caused the boy harm, to which he said he did not.

Authorities said Lonna Barton and the boy's father, Christopher Barton, 40, were being cooperative. Police said neither of them are involved in the boy's disappearance.
The aunt of Lonzie's father, Shirley Barton, said that there had been custody issues between her nephew and the child's mother following the couple's separation.
She said her nephew was married to Lonna Barton, whose maiden name is Lauramore, for about five years.They have been separated for two months, Shirley Barton said.
There is a family relation between Lonzie and Haleigh Cummings, who vanished from her home in Sasuma, Florida on February 10, 2009 and has not been seen since.
Her mother and Lonna Burton are related, according to a family member, First Coast News reported. 

As the search for the boy continues, new information has already come to light about Ebron's violent past, the Florida Times-Union reported. 
His ex-girlfriend's family took out an injunction against him to keep him away from them, according to court documents.
The records show he is alleged to be a stalker and rapist, who attacked his ex-girlfriend and left her with cracked ribs.  
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Director Tom Hackney said: 'We now have evidence and information to the fact that the story he gave about his vehicle being stolen with the victim in the back seat was not true. We are not working this as a stranger abduction anymore'
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Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Director Tom Hackney said: 'We now have evidence and information to the fact that the story he gave about his vehicle being stolen with the victim in the back seat was not true. We are not working this as a stranger abduction anymore'
He also 'threatened the life of his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old niece and raped his ex-girlfriend,' the injunction states.
And he allegedly stalked his ex-girlfriend's family and left 'eight indirect threatening voicemails'. 
Additionally, he was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery related to a 2011 case.
He was last arrested on May 30 on five drug charges, for tampering with evidence and resisting arrest without violence.
Lonna Barton was arrested on three drug charges, and Ebron was ordered to have no contact with her and a 7pm curfew, according to the Florida Times-Union.
The most recent injunction against Ebron was from July 10, and it was filed by his ex-girlfriend's sister.  
His ex-girlfriend had previously filed two injunctions against him which led to him being required to seek mental-health counseling.

The family said he has bragged that he is 'untouchable to the police and the court system'.
The injunction said 'he knows the system and how he can get away with anything that he does to me, my children and my sister and her children'.
A judge approved the injunction, banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend's family.
Ebron's first court appearance was on Saturday. His arraignment is scheduled for August 17.