Missing Jacksonville Beach boy found safe; police investigating death

A missing Jacksonville Beach boy has been found safe, authorities say.

Jacksonville Beach police said 7-year-old Luke Gjelaj and his mother, 39-year-old Marla E. D'Andrea, were found at Orlando International Airport just before 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Police did not know if D'Andrea was trying to fly out of OIA with her son. Investigators say D'Andrea has custody of her son and that's why an Amber Alert was not issued.

Police are also investigating a death at 10th Street North and 1st Avenue North in Jacksonville Beach, and police say D'Andrea is wanted for questioning in that death.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a Florida Missing Child Alert for Luke Gjelaj on Friday evening.

Police responded to an apartment at 10th Street North and 1st Avenue North for a welfare check and found a woman dead inside that apartment. Police have not said how the woman was killed.

Investigators haven't said who the woman is, or if she is related to the boy and mother, but neighbors tell Action News Jax she is the boy's grandmother and D'Andrea's mother.

“I’m having a hard time understanding who can do something like that and the fact that it’s so close to my home,” neighbor Lori Deputy.

Neighbors said there was tension within the family.

“There was a lot of yelling and cursing, at night, generally late at night, like the other morning, like 3 in the morning. What I know is that the grandmother had custody and I realized that recently, the mother did get custody back, from DCF,” Deputy said.

Action News Jax uncovered recent court records for D’Andrea. She has two paternity issues in court with two different men. It’s a situation neighbors said they just don’t understand.

“I seen these people, I seen this grandmother with this child and she had taken very good care of him,” Deputy said.

Police say they are still waiting to release the name of the woman found dead until family is notified. As of late Friday night, Jacksonville Beach authorities were headed to Orlando to question D'Andrea.

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Cox Media Group