The 1-year-old sibling of a boy whose body was recovered July 8, 2024, in waters behind the Vinton Welcome Center was discovered by the driver of an 18-wheeler a day later on Interstate 10 eastbound nearly eight miles from the center.

Reginald Walton, a driver for DHL Supply Chain, said he was en route from Texas to Crowley for a delivery when he spotted the boy.  “At first I thought maybe it was a doll or a toy or something like that that someone had thrown out the window,” he said. “As I passed by, I noticed that it moved.”

Walton said he was cruising at about 65 mph when he saw the child and it took him about a quarter of a mile to get his 18-wheeler to come to a complete stop.

“As I approached, he smiled at me, then he stood up and he started crying and then he walked toward me,” he said.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory told the American Press the boy had been outside for about two days, crawling his way through an interstate embankment while the remnants of Hurricane Beryl — including high-force wind and heavy rainfall — swirled around him.  “This kid spent two days out in the weather on the side of the highway,” Guillory said. “Thank God that trucker seen him.”

Besides being covered in insect bites, Kingtrail was in good condition and had stayed hydrated for the two days he was alone by drinking from the water he was crawling through.

Kingtrail’s mother, Aaliyah Jack, was arrested in Meridian, Miss., the same day the boy was discovered. Officers discovered her waiting to board a train.

Jack — who is being represented by public defender King Alexander — pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile virtually in September from the Calcasieu Correctional Center, where she is being held on a $9.1 million bond.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Jan. 6.

Dion Polk told the American Press the 4-year-old whose body was recovered was that of her grandson, Legend Jack.

Polk said Legend, one of six of her grandchildren, was loving, smart and kind. She said they loved to ride around town, take vacations, talk, play games and shoot water guns at each other.

“I want the people to know that Legend has a family that loved him with everything they had,” Polk said.