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A New Jersey mother who called police Friday night to report that her 23-month-old son had been abducted is now accused of killing him and burying him in the yard of the home where they lived, PEOPLE confirms.
As bloodhounds began tracking the child’s scent in the area, authorities launched a massive search for the boy.
The search ended at about 3 a.m., when the child’s remains were found in the yard of his home, say police in the statement.
Nakira Griner was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree desecration of human remains and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.
Nakira Griner, 24, of Bridgeton, N.J.Bridgeton Police Department
Griner remains held in the Cumberland County Jail pending a detention hearing on Monday. It is unclear whether she has retained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.
She has not yet entered a plea.
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Neighbor Crystal Castillo told local NBC affiliate WCAU that shehadn’t seen the boy for more than a monthand is shocked at the allegations.
“[Griner] is, like, the most genuine person in the whole world,” Castillo told WCAU. “My kids were close with her and her kids were close with me. I just don’t know what to do.”
The page adds the dad is “going to struggle with paying for things from here on out. Every little penny counts. Reach deep into your pockets and if you can’t donate please send a pray[er] for this man. I used to work with him and he nor his son deserved this. #justicefordanieljr”
No further information will be released at this time because the case is still under investigation, police say in the statement.
No additional arrests are expected.
“It’s a tragic situation,” Bridgeton Mayor Albert B. Kelly told NJ Advance Media Sunday. “Everyone is shaking their head at it. These are the type of things you read about in other cities, but you always think it won’t happen in your city.”
source: people.com
