A man whose 3-week-old baby went missing from a Palmdale home in early May has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
Yusuf Dewees, 24, entered his not guilty plea late Monday to one count each of murder, assault on a child causing death and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death involving his son, Baki, some time between May 2 and May 3.
“After an extensive search by LASD (the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department), including the Lancaster landfill, desert areas and areas in and around Palmdale and Lancaster, Baki’s body has sadly not been located,” Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said earlier this year.
The baby remains missing.
According to family members, Baki Dewees has been missing since May 3 and was last seen with his father.
The infant’s great-aunt wrote on Facebook in May that Yusuf Dewees “took him (Baki) out of his grandmother’s home and that was the last time anyone in my family saw him.”
Yusuf Dewees was returned to Los Angeles County in July from Utah, where he was arrested. He has remained behind bars since then, jail records show.
Dewees could face life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.