Mother of missing S.C. toddler Amir Jennings due in court today

(CBS/AP) COLUMBIA, S.C. - The mother of a missing toddler who allegedly lied to police and failed to report her son missing is scheduled to appear in court today.

Zinah Jennings, 22, was arrested in December after investigators say she gave them misleading information about the whereabouts of 18-month-old Amir Jennings, who family members say has been missing since Thanksgiving.

Jennings' lawyer, Hemphill Pride II, is expected to ask a judge to release his client because she is pregnant and suffering from mental illness. He claims she needs medical attention. Pride says Jennings has been prescribed Risperdal, a medication used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia.

Last week, investigators searched a rural area for the toddler but found no evidence of the boy.

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January 27, 2012: Search called off for missing S.C. toddler Amir Jennings, mother in jail accused of lying to police