The boy is identified as Kanief Dandy, who was last seen at a DHS location at 1515 Arch Street on October 5, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. wearing black jeans and a red thermal shirt with gray sleeves.
Police say Kanief was abducted by his mother, 34-year-old Natia Dandy. Natia was at DHS on a scheduled supervised visit with her son when she fled the building with her son and was last seen westbound on Arch Street from 16th Street.
She is described as a black female with brown hair, brown eyes, standing 5 foot 6 inches in height, and weighing 170 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white sweater, and a black scarf on her head.
Natia Dandy's last known address is in the 1000 block of Cambridge Street.
The DHS tells Action News there was 'good reason' for Kanief to be removed from his mother's care. Action News has learned that Natia Dandy has a history of mental illness and was thrown out of a homeless shelter earlier this week for violent behavior.
Police say they are not interested in prosecuting Dandy. They just want to be sure Kanief is safe.
"We're going to keep looking for the child until we find the child. It's important that the mother makes some arrangements," said Lt. Patrick Doherty of the Philadelphia Police.
Doherty went on to say that Dandy may feel like she's back herself into a corner. He said that is okay, and that she can simply drop Kanief off in a safe place such as a hospital, police station or with a relative.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Natia Dandy or Kanief Dandy are asked to call Central Detective Division at 215-686-3093 or simply dial 911.