Bethany Joy Fleming (Allen County Sheriff’s Office) and the apartment complex where she allegedly tried to kill her son with a hammer (YouTube/WANE screenshot)
A 32-year-old mother in Indiana was arrested this week after she allegedly tried kill her own son, nearly beating the 10-year-old boy to death by striking him in the head with a hammer and then attempting to take her own life. Bethany Joy Fleming was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count of attempted intentional murder, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a Thursday press release from the City of Fort Wayne Police Department, FWPD officers at about 5:36 p.m. on Oct. 3 responded to an emergency call regarding an “Unknown Problem” at the Tyler Terrace Apartments complex located in the 1200 block of Ralph Avenue, which is about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they located an adult female — later identified as Fleming — and a male child, both of whom were said to be suffering “life threatening injuries.” The department’s homicide unit was dispatched to the scene and took control of the investigation.
Police did not release many details, only saying that the adult female was initially taken to the hospital for medical treatment and was taken into custody on one count of attempted murder after being discharged.
However, a copy of the probable cause affidavit obtained by Fort Wayne ABC and NBC affiliate WPTA revealed harrowing new details about the circumstances of Fleming’s arrest.
According to the document, Fleming was the person who placed the initial call to 911, telling the emergency dispatcher that she believed someone was coming to her home to take her and her son away and sell them into a sex trafficking ring.
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“So I tried to kill him, I think I killed him, and I stabbed myself,” she allegedly said while on the line with 911. “Please my name is Bethany.”
When police arrived at Fleming’s home they initially located Fleming inside of her apartment. She was reportedly bleeding from an apparent stab wound to the neck. The injured mother allegedly reiterated her belief that she and her son were about to be sold into sex slavery.
When police asked Fleming if she had done anything to harm herself or her 10-year-old boy, she allegedly responded that she had struck the child in the head with a hammer, explaining that “she thought this was the only way.”
Fleming and her son were both transported to a local hospital where the child was reportedly diagnosed with a fractured skull as well as a brain bleed. He was admitted and immediately rushed into emergency surgery. As of Thursday afternoon, authorities said that doctors were unsure if the boy would survive his injuries, describing him as being in critical condition.
Fleming is currently being held in the Allen County Jail without bond.
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