A 24-year-old Michigan mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was found frozen to death in a Clinton Township park in January.
Prosecutors said that Derricka Fleming put her son, Lamar Tyrone Mitchell, to bed in their apartment on January 23 before going upstairs to visit a neighbor, The Detroit News reported. While she was gone, the boy got out of bed and left the apartment. He was later found in a nearby park and pronounced dead at a hospital.
Fleming was arraigned Wednesday morning and faces up to 15 years in prison if she’s convicted.
“As the prosecutor in this case, we are deeply saddened by the tragic and preventable loss of a young life,” Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said. “The charges against Derricka Fleming reflect the gravity of the situation and the responsibility she bears in the death of her son.”
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Lucido said that “the evidence suggests a severe breach of parental duty and neglect that led to this devastating outcome.”
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[Featured image: Derricka Fleming/Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office]
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