A 62-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with killing her adopted disabled son by poisoning.

Mary Diehl allegedly killed Najir Diehl, 11, on the morning of 6th September and she was arrested on Monday (8th November) after investigators found poison in his blood.

Investigators believe the victim was poisoned between 8.30pm on 5th September and 10.11am the following morning.

The suspect has been booked into the Crawford County Correctional Facility in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The police were called to the suspect’s home just after 10am and found Diehl, who was disabled and could not walk on his own, dead in his bed, according to local reports.

A toxicology report later revealed that the victim had poison in his blood, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

The criminal complaint reads: “On or about September 5, 2021, with malice, premeditation and the specific intent to kill, (the suspect) did have the care dependent victim ingest poison for the purposes of causing his death”.

Assistant district attorney Paula DiGiacomo said that the “authorities in Pennsylvania have been working hard on the case” and have found “probable cause to believe she should be charged with first-degree homicide – intentional killing”.

The boy’s obituary said that he had a brother and a sister as well as a “passion for life”, adding: “His bus trips to school and his bus drivers made him very happy. He also loved to eat, go swimming, read books, and the dogs and cats at his home.”

A family friend said the victim “was a beautiful boy… big, brown eyes full of love that you could feel”, and that “Mary was the light in his life, and he was the light in hers! Blessings of Love and Light”.

The suspect is being held in custody without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on 23rd November for a preliminary hearing.

A possible motive for killing the boy has not been disclosed.

The investigation is ongoing.