Father charged with murder of infant son appears in Lancaster courtroom

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A man whose 3-week-old baby went missing from a Palmdale home in early May made his first appearance Tuesday in a Lancaster courtroom on murder and other charges.

Yusuf Dewees, 24, was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $2 million bail while awaiting arraignment Aug. 7.

Dewees was charged June 5 with one count each of murder, assault on a child causing death and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death involving his son, Baki, some time between May 2 and 3, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Detectives briefly searching a landfill in the Antelope Valley for the infant's remains, but his body has yet to be recovered.

In court Tuesday, Yusuf's defense attorney stood in front of him and shielded his client from appearing on camera.

Prosecutors believe Dewees killed his son in early May, which is around the same time the infant's grandmother reported him missing.

The infant's mother was in jail in Utah at the time of her son's disappearance. Detectives believe Dewees murdered his son in Palmdale before heading to Utah, which is where detectives arrested him and extradited him back to the Antelope Valley.

Family members say Baki was last seen with his father and they're demanding answers.

The infant's grandmother, Fiti Paulo, can't comprehend why Dewees would allegedly murder his infant son. She wishes she could hold her grandson.

"I'm always thinking of my grandson. I wish I could cherish him," she said. "I wish I could hold him. Every night, every day has just been a nightmare for me."

State Assemblymember Tom Lackey said outside court there have been too many children murdered by their parents in the Antelope Valley over the last several years.

"Prevention is being called for, and I've been trying to bring attention to this problem," he said.