The 18-year-old mother, later identified as Alexis, reportedly turned herself into the Sheriff’s Office after a felony warrant was issued for her arrest due to the ‘disturbing photo of her crying 14-month-old son, that was posted on social media. After it was posted, the image spread across the social media platform as viewers were left stunned to see the distressed and scared toddler. Eventually, the image captured the attention of the local sheriff’s office after several people posted the picture of the little boy on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the photo shows her young son hanging from the hook in a door frame of her home by his shirt, which is pulled tightly around his neck while he’s clearly distressed, crying and uncomfortable (SEE PHOTO). The image, which was taken by the mom, was posted online by the boy’s father in an act of revenge after they had an argument, per reports. Sgt. Konicki told CBS6 that an investigation found the child to have been hanging by a plant hook rather than a nail, as previously suspected. A warrant for the mother’s arrest was promptly issued. “We had it assigned to a criminal investigation detective through the child victim unit. When she responded, she did an investigation and found that it wasn’t a nail, it was actually a planter hook that the child was hanging from,” Sgt. Konicki explained. “But the child was absolutely fine,” he added.
“The baby’s father and mother had an argument, and in retaliation, the father posted this on social media to get the mother in trouble,” Konicki said, adding that the father of the child was not involved in the alleged abuse. The mother, on the other hand, faces felony child abuse charges, but she was released on a $2,500 bond. Per reports, this isn’t the mom’s first time in trouble with the law. In fact, just before this incident, she had pleaded guilty to an assault and battery charge against a family member. According to CBS6, she assaulted her mother and was forced to take anger management classes as well as undergo a mental health evaluation. CBS6 also reports that she violated a court order and was due in court on a separate charge after she violated a protective order.
The mother reportedly told the local media outlet: “I regret taking the picture, even putting him up there… I really do,” she said, adding that she loves her son to death and would do everything in her power to make sure that he is healthy. “I didn’t do anything and I never will do anything to hurt my son. My son was not hurt at all,” she also told CBS6 in an attempt to clear the air after reading numerous messages on social media sites bashing her and her parenting skills. “All it was, was to be a joke. He was laughing…put it in his baby book,” the mother insisted. Dear readers, we are republishing this story amid recent reports that child abuse has surged in the United States during the pandemic.
