3-year-old abandoned by smugglers near TX border, parents' whereabouts unknown

Boy's name, phone number written on his shoes

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Smugglers abandoned a 3-year-old boy in a cornfield near Brownsville on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Agents found the child alone and crying in the field after they tried to intercept a group suspected of entering the country illegally.

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The group scattered as agents closed in and that's when they discovered the child, who was found with his name and a phone number written on his shoes.

According to the spokesperson, the boy doesn't know to speak well enough to communicate and attempts to find his parents have failed.

He was released to the Border Patrol after a medical evaluation at a local hospital determined he is in good health.

An agent with Fort Brown Supervisory Border Patrol bought clothing for the toddler, and fellow officers watched movies and played games with the boy before he was taken to the Centralized Processing Center.

Currently, the boy is in the care of contracted child care workers at the Centralized Processing Center until he's turned over to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, per protocol.