Mom Accused Of Leaving Quadriplegic Son Outside Hospitalized
PHILADELPHIA (WJZ) -- Police have found the mother accused of abandoning her quadriplegic son in the woods for five days. Investigators say Nyia Parler left her 21-year-old son to die under a blanket in a wooded area in Philadelphia--all so she could visit a boyfriend here in Maryland.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the charges she now faces.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Nyia Parler on multiple charges, including attempted murder.
Unable to move or scream for help, the 21-year-old son lay under a blanket in the woods for five days, enduring rain and cold.
"This kid is obviously a fighter. It's just unbelievable how we found him out there last night. To see that kid laying there, it's heartbreaking," said Lt. John Walker, Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators say 41-year-old Nyia Parler brought her quadriplegic son who suffers from cerebral palsy into the woods in Pennsylvania, took him out of his wheelchair and left him under a blanket with nothing but a bible.
She then hopped a bus to Montgomery County, Maryland to visit a boyfriend.
A day later, a picture was posted on her Facebook page. She writes; "I'm so happy." Concerned friends writing back: "Call me ASAP... How the hell are you happy?"
Investigators say Parler told police and family members that her son was with her in Silver Spring. But when Montgomery County police came to check, the son wasn't there. It took five days for a passerby to notice the abandoned wheelchair in the woods.
When they investigated, they found the 21-year-old alive under a pile of leaves.
"That's not good, to put somebody in the woods for five days," said one man.
As Montgomery County police came to arrest Parler, she suffered some kind of medical emergency and remains in the hospital.
"When she is completed treatment we will take her from the hospital to begin the extradition process," said Capt. Paul Starks, Montgomery County Police Department.
She will now face several criminal charges, including attempted murder.
The 21-year-old son suffered from malnutrition and dehydration, but he is expected to be OK.
Investigators do not believe Parler's boyfriend had any idea what was going on with her son.