Authorities search for missing toddler, believe mother may be in Mexico

Aug 21, 2025 - 22:00

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A national search for a 3-year-old boy from Florida is underway after his mother moved out of state and failed to return him to his father, with whom she shared parental custody.
• Video above shows how to report a tip to the U.S. Marshals Service

On Thursday, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) asked for the public's help in finding Camilo Lugo.

NCMEC is looking for Camilo Lugo, 3, from Clay County, Florida. (NCMEC)

Lugo was only a year old in August 2023 when his mother, Dirce Sampo, moved cross-country from Clay County, Florida, to San Diego without telling the child's father, authorities said.

According to investigators, Sampo was charged with parental abduction because she failed to return Lugo to his father as ordered by the court.

The U.S. Marshals Service believes Sampo may be traveling through the southern border and could also be in Mexico.

NCMEC is looking for Dirce Sampo, mother of missing Florida toddler Camilo Lugo. (NCMEC)
Dirce Sampo, mother of missing Florida toddler, has a flower tattoo on her forearm. (NCMEC)

Sampo is described as 5'6" tall, weighs 180 pounds and has a tattoo of a flower on her forearm.

Anyone with more information about Lugo's case is asked to contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the Clay County Sheriff's Office in Florida at 1-904-264-6512.