Charges dropped against Red Lake woman accused of child torture after 3-year-old's abduction

RED LAKE, Minn. — Charges were dropped Monday against a Red Lake woman accused of abducting a 3-year-old boy, according to court documents.

The 35-year-old woman was charged with one count each of third-degree assault, child torture, child neglect and malicious punishment of a child — all are felonies.

An AMBER Alert was issued for the child shortly after 9 p.m. on March 15. It was canceled around 10:30 p.m. after authorities found the woman and the child inside a vehicle on Highway 71 in Todd County.

Police say the child "had a very strong smell of body odor, as if he had not been washed or changed in a few days." He was taken to Long Praire Hospital for further evaluation. There, a body examination found multiple open sores and lesions. His face and legs appeared to be the worst, court documents say. Many of the child's teeth were also found to be rotten.

The motion to dismiss the charges says the alleged abuse occurred on the Red Lake Reservation, which is not in the state court jurisdiction.

According to Red Lake Nation, tribal courts "hear all misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases resulting from violations of the Tribal Code. Certain felony crimes are adjudicated in federal court."

The woman has not been charged in federal court.

On the same day of the abduction, two children were killed in a house fire on the reservation.