Mateo is in a foster home as police search for information about him.

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Bakersfield Police Department

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CNN's Charles Feldman has more on the story of a little boy named Mateo. Police are still trying to discover who he is, where he came from and where is his family. (May 23)

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We're going to do everything within our power to reunite this little boy with his parents.
-- Detective Herman Caldas

BAKERSFIELD, California (CNN) -- Police are searching for the family of a little boy found roaming the streets of Bakersfield, California, this week.

The boy, believed to be about 2 years old, has been not been able to tell police much more than his name -- Mateo.

When found Sunday night near Monterey and Haley streets in Bakersfield, the boy was well-dressed and apparently healthy, according to police.

Mateo speaks some Spanish and even less English, police said. He has indicated he has two brothers and a dog. But police told CNN the boy has not answered questions about his parents.

Officials have placed him in a foster home while the case is under investigation.

"We will have no shortage, I assure you, in this county with parents coming forward prepared to adopt this kid, should it go that far," said Mark Arnold, Kern County public defender.

City police are following numerous leads, according to Detective Herman Caldas, the lead investigator on the case.

"Our department has taken this case extremely seriously," Caldas said Friday. "And we're going to do everything within our power to reunite this little boy with his parents."

Officials in Bakersfield said they have never seen a case such as Mateo's. They said they are worried that his parent or parents may have been victims of foul play.

The officials said it's possible that Mateo's home is in Mexico and that he was abandoned. Bakersfield sits on the southern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

Police said that many people have called claiming to know something about the boy but so far no tip has solved the mystery.


The boy waves from inside a van

No one has recognized Mateo in the neighborhood where he was found, Caldas said. Authorities have posted signs around the area and notified agencies as far away as the U.S. Consulate in Mexico.

Among other measures, they also have led Mateo around the streets -- the boy toting a teddy bear and waving to television cameras.

Authorities have described the boy as affectionate, apparently having received a good deal of attention in the past.

Mateo seemed to be handling the situation well, Caldas said Friday.

"He's a very charming child," Caldas said. "He stole my heart on Tuesday when I had an interview with him. ...

"I'm hoping that someone has seen this child or know the parents," he said.

If Mateo's parents were to come forward, he said, "this is not the end of the world. Things can be worked out."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/05/23/mystery.boy/index.html