LIVONIA, Mich. — A woman whose 4-year-old son reportedly disappeared a quarter-century ago at a suburban Detroit shopping mall has doubts that a man who says he may be the boy truly is.
Dwanna Wiggins told The Associated Press on Friday that she has chatted with the man via Facebook, but has “no clue, whatsoever” if he is D’Wan Sims.
D’Wan was reported missing Dec. 11, 1994, at Wonderland Mall in Livonia.
WDIV-TV reported that the man has given Livonia police a DNA sample.
Wiggins, whose last name was Harris in 1994, had told police her son disappeared while shopping with her. Investigators later said mall surveillance video showed Harris, but not D’Wan, leading them to believe that the boy was never at the mall to start with. The family came under suspicion.
“I was here at the department and we looked at all of the video, we checked everything, and we never saw D’Wan with Ms. Sims,” the Detroit NBC-affiliate quoted Livonia police Captain Ron Taig as saying.
Police reached out to the mother to obtain DNA for a test and it is unclear if she will cooperate, WDIV-TV also reported.
Sources told the TV station that she blocked the man when he messaged her on Facebook.
Taig says the man came into the police station several days ago. “I guess what’s odd is that he claimed that he didn’t want any of this information out in the media and from what I understand he has put this out on social media,” the captain said.
