Minnesota mother who locked up 8-year-old son and left him to die in freezing garage overnight has history of child neglect
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A mother has been accused of locking her eight-year-old son in a cold garage overnight that resulted in his death.
The Brooklyn Park woman, who has a history of child neglect and violence was charged on Monday, September 9, in connection with the boy's death in February 2018. Neither the accused nor the victim's identities have been disclosed because court records cite sexual abuse, stated a New York Post report.
On the morning of February 1, 2018, the woman called 911 to report that her son was unresponsive. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the boy's skin "ice cold" although he was not frozen.
There was also a puddle of frozen liquid in the garage, which investigators later determined to be urine, suggesting that the victim had peed his pants while being confined.
During the autopsy, the coroner found no fresh signs of trauma. However, the body had scars on his back that were consistent with being hit with a belt or cord, along with other marks. Toxicology reports also showed that the victim died of hypothermia, as he had elevated levels of glucose in his blood.
Although all signs pointed to the victim being locked inside the garage on a day where the temperature outside was reaching negative single digits, the boy's mother denied preliminary findings by the police.
She told the police that her son had been sick since January 31. However, his school officials said there was nothing wrong with his health. When the police returned to the scene with a search warrant, they found that the pool of frozen liquid on the garage floor was gone.
After the boy's death in February, two petitions for protection had been filed by child protection services, including a request for emergency protection. And yet, there were other children who were still living with the accused.
Following the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl from the accused's home in June 2018, the investigation into the boy's death was made public. She was later found safe more than 20 miles away.
When police arrived at the suspected woman's residence as part of their investigation as to why the young girl ran away from home, they discovered "concerning living conditions", including an infestation of rodents and bugs.
The mother also refused to cooperate with authorities. As a result, the girl and three siblings were placed in protective custody. After months, one of the girl's siblings spoke to her foster parent about the death of her eight-year-old brother, saying that their mother had locked the boy in the garage overnight and brought him inside the next morning.
When the mother's history with the family court was drawn up, it revealed reports of neglect and threats of violence. In 2006, she also had a criminal conviction for malicious punishment of a child. The mother was responsible for six children in the past, including the boy who died.
Court records also showed that the father of five of the children, who did not live at the house, was also accused of neglecting the children and threatening them with physical harm.