A 32-year-old mother has been arrested for abandoning her nonverbal autistic son in a dark street in another state and driving away.
Heather Nicole Adkins from Indiana was arrested in Kentucky on Saturday, 19th February, after her five-year-old son was found walking the streets in Ohio by road users.
She reportedly drove from her home in Shelbyville in Indiana to Cincinnati in Ohio, some 75 miles away, to dump him, and the boy was found at around 9pm on Thursday last week.
He was picked up in the township of Colerain and is currently in the care of social services.
Passing motorist Josh Wanderski told local media the disabled boy was “out there by himself waving down cars”, adding: “He didn’t really understand what was going on. He was really close to the road.”
The mother was arrested at a petrol station in Kentucky for an unpaid fine dating back to 2011 and, after being quizzed by cops, told the authorities that she was the same person wanted by the Colerain Township Police Department (CTPD) in connection with the abandoned autistic boy.
Prosecutor Joe Deters said: “These types of cases simply break your heart. All children should grow up loved and wanted. I hope the child ultimately lands in a caring, loving home.
“The boy is now in the custody of Jobs and Family Services.”
It is unclear why the mother was in Kentucky at the time of her arrest. The authorities said she will remain in the state for several days before being taken to Ohio.
The mother faces one count of endangering children as the investigation continues.
