HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—A noncommunicative boy was found alone in Huntington Beach Oct. 3, prompting a call for public help to locate his family before police were able to identify him—and take his mother into custody.

Kimberly Kalafatic, 46, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on the late morning of Oct. 3 on suspicion of child endangerment, a short time after police had sought the public’s help to identify the boy, according to Jessica Cuchilla of the Huntington Beach Police Department.

When they found him near Beach Boulevard and Yorktown Avenue, police circulated a photo of the boy, between 10–13 years old, stating that his identity was not known and he was “unable to communicate.”

By late morning, police reported that “detectives located the child’s family and arrested the child’s guardian.”

Authorities later determined that the guardian was the boy’s mother, Cuchilla said.

“The investigation is ongoing, and the child remains safely in the custody of Orange County Social Services,” police said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who shared the post and called in tips.”