- Liberian police in Margibi County have launched an investigation into the alleged murder of a six-month-old baby girl whose body was discovered in an unfinished building in the Cotton Tree Community, authorities said Saturday.
The Liberia National Police report noted that the LNP received a call at about 5:45 p.m. reporting the discovery of an unconscious child in an uncompleted structure in Cotton Tree, located in Margibi County's Second Electoral District. Officers were immediately dispatched to the scene to investigate the circumstances surrounding the child's death.
Family members at the scene identified the deceased as Beatrice Langar, a six-month-old baby girl who had reportedly been missing for three days.
According to police, the child's mother, Sara Cooper, 22, told investigators that her daughter went missing after the baby's biological father allegedly took her away by force. Cooper, a Liberian of the Kissi tribe and a resident of Barclay's Farm Community, said the incident occurred while she was visiting her mother.
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She alleged that the child's father, Lester D. Langar, 30, a Liberian of the Gio tribe and also a resident of Barclay's Farm Community, came to her mother's house while she was there with the baby.
Cooper told police that Langar insulted her during the encounter and later forcibly took the six-month-old child away on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2026, at about 10 p.m., carrying the baby to an unknown destination.
"That was the last time I saw my daughter alive," Cooper said in her statement to police, according to investigators.
Following the discovery of the body, police constituted a 15-man coroner's jury to examine the remains.
According to a police report, the jury returned a unanimous verdict that foul play was suspected.
The jurors observed that the child's head appeared to have been tampered with, allegedly from being struck against a hard object. They also noted that the baby's mouth and throat area showed signs of tampering.
Based on the jury's findings, police said the death was not believed to be from natural causes.
The body of the deceased was formally signed for by the child's grandmother for preservation pending further forensic and investigative procedures, police said.
Authorities said the investigation is continuing and that efforts are underway to locate and arrest Lester D. Langar, who is being sought for questioning in connection with the child's death.
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"Investigation is ongoing, and efforts are being made to locate the father of the deceased as soon as possible," the police report said.
Police stressed that no one has yet been formally charged in the case and that all allegations remain under active investigation.
The Liberia National Police urged anyone with information about the whereabouts of the child's father or details related to the case to contact the nearest police station.
This case remains an alleged murder under investigation. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
