A baby who has gone missing in Arizona, USA, is probably still alive, police say.
The bizarre story has taken a twist this week when a couple who apparently wanted to adopt the baby were made "persons of interest" in the case.
Eight-month-old Gabriel Johnson was last seen in San Antonio in late December with his 23-year-old mother Elizabeth Johnson.
She was arrested last week in Florida after failing to show up for a custody hearing.
The mother sent a text message to her ex-boyfriend saying she had killed the baby, but then said she had made this up and told a Phoenix television station that she had given the boy away in San Antonio.
Police spokesman Sgt Steve Carbajal told Fox News: "We are getting some indications that Gabriel is alive.
"We can't say specifically just what those are, but we are getting some indications that those are correct."
He said the couple who wanted to adopt the child, Jack and Terri Smith, were now "persons of interest" in the investigation.
The Smiths have previously described how they met Johnson, who wanted to give the baby up for adoption, but her ex-boyfriend would not agree.
Terri Smith told KTVK-TV in Phoenix that the couple has cooperated fully with police and have nothing to hide.
Calls have been flooding in to Tempe police over the case and anyone with information is now being asked to call the National Centre for Missing or Exploited Children.
Sgt Carbajal is urging anyone who may have the baby to take him to a safe place like a hospital or a fire station if they are afraid to come forward.
"Our focus has always been the same, and that is locating Gabriel," he told Fox News.
Source: Fox News