A woman, 41, accused of abandoning her quadriplegic son, 21, in the woods is taken into custody by Maryland Police.
Nyia Parler has been accused of leaving her son alone in a wooded area on April 6 before leaving for Montgomery County, Maryland to visit her boyfriend. Her 21-year-old son was found lying on the ground in an isolated forested area, covered with a blanket next to a wheelchair and a Bible, 150 metres deep in the woods of Cobbs Creek Park in southwest Philadelphia on April 10, Friday night.
Police have confirmed that the arrest has been made in Maryland's hospital where she was receiving treatment for an unknown reason, NBC Washington reported. The 41-year-old reportedly has been turned in by her boyfriend as he admittedly "had do the right thing."
Parler will be brought back to Philadelphia, where she will face charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, neglect of a care-dependent person, unlawful restraint, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
The 21-year-old wheelchair-bound victim also suffers from cerebral palsy. The victim's school got alerted due to his prolonged absence and contacted Parler in Maryland who allegedly claimed that he was with her. Meanwhile, her boyfriend presumed that the victim is under the care of other relatives and was reportedly shocked to know the truth.
The unidentified boy was hospitalized with dehydration, malnutrition, a deep cut on his back and possible eye injuries, CNN reported. The boy was absolutely defenseless as he lied in the woods for five days among wild animals and faced extreme low temperature and rain, covered only with a blanket.
"A lot of things could have happened out there,'' said Lt. John Walker, spokesman of Philadelphia police. Obviously, he's in the middle of a wooded area. You have wild animals there. This kid could not defend himself. He does not function at all.''