A mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 3-year-old child after she walked into the Georgia woods with her two young children around midnight last week — while the state was in the midst of a deep freeze — and didn’t seek help until nearly noon the next day.
According to WXIA, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies found the mother and the children — the 3-year-old and a 7-year-old — a good distance away from Fox Hall Resort, where the family had been staying on February 16. The children were “soaking wet,” the deputies said.
Investigators said the mother, identified as Uriha Ridge, had taken drugs before heading into the woods and took more while she was out in the elements. They said they were dressed in thin clothes and remained out in the rain and sub-freezing temperatures all night.
The toddler died from “exposure to the elements,” the sheriff’s office said, and the 7-year-old was hospitalized, WANF reported.
Ridge has been charged with felony murder, two counts of first degree cruelty to children, and two counts of second degree cruetly to children. She was ordered held without bond.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Uriha Ridge/Douglas County Sheriff’s Office]
