BALTIMORE (AP) — Authorities in Maryland say further investigation and toxicology tests are needed in the case of a child who was found dead in a park swing as his mother pushed him.
Charles County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Diane Richardson says an autopsy has been completed on the 3-year-old boy found Friday at Wills Memorial Park in La Plata, Maryland, but the cause of death remains under investigation.
The 24-year-old mother was taken to a hospital Friday. Richardson said the woman remained hospitalized Monday. Officials haven't identified her.
They've said she may have been at the park and pushing her dead son in the swing for hours before the boy was discovered.
The Washington Post reported that the boy was identified as Ji’Aire Lee by Vontasha Simms, who identified herself as the child’s grandmother. She told the Post that Ji’Aire and his mother, Romechia Simms, had been staying with her in a hotel while they tried to obtain permanent housing.
Vontasha Simms said on Tuesday that her daughter had been battling mental illness before Ji’Aire’s death, the Post said.
“She’s heartbroken,” Vontasha Simms said about her daughter. “I guess you can say as can be expected. She’s getting the help that she needs at this point in time, processing it all.”
Romechia Simms, 24, was taken to a hospital after she and her son were discovered Friday at Wills Memorial Park.