A three-year-old boy who was dumped in a cemetery in the US state of Ohio days before Christmas has been placed in a "loving home" while an investigation takes place, police say.
Local officers found the young boy on December 23 after responding to a tip-off there was an abandoned child at Hope Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Hinckley, Ohio.
The witness told the Hinckley Police Department she saw a car speed away from the cemetery before a little boy and a dog ran after the vehicle.
Police rescued the three-year-old - who told officers his name is Tony - and took him into protective custody, before the Medina County Children Services was contacted.
"I want to assure everyone that Tony is doing very well in the loving home of a foster family here in Medina County," Chief David Centner says.
Hinckley Police were flooded with donations and offers to adopt Tony after a local man took to a Facebook group to rally for support.
Local Jeremy Lowe told Fox 8 Tony's story resonated with him because he had also been placed in a foster home just before Christmas.
"A little boy and his dog, Christmas time, you know - [this is] as heartless as it gets, really," he told the outlet.
In an update on Christmas Day, police shared a photo of a mountain of presents locals had dropped off at the station.
"I reached out to my friend Santa and tomorrow morning after he has finished his deliveries he is going to stop at HPD," Chief Centner says. "We are going to load the sleigh and make one final stop to see our little friend."
After local media outlets posted Tony's photo, a relative saw the image and contacted the boy's father. He immediately called police, according to Fox 8, and said Tony had been in his mother's custody when he and his dog were abandoned.
Police say the boy's father has been "very cooperative" in the investigation and worked with officers to catch Tony's dog after he was found running around the cemetery.
