A 24-year-old Michigan woman has been charged with manslaughter on the allegation she was criminally negligent when she allowed her 5-year-old son to wander from their Clinton Township apartment and freeze to death.
Derricka Kenora Fleming was arraigned Wednesday by Magistrate Ryan Zemke in 41B District Court for the incident in which she allegedly put the boy to bed at about 10 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Saravilla Apartment complex near Harper Avenue and 15 Mile Road. He was found several hours later, in the early morning hours of Jan. 23, at a nearby park dressed in an undershirt and underpants. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
The overnight weather conditions were below freezing, with the official low of 27 degrees reported at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, according to the National Weather Service.
A woman called 911 to report a missing child as a male was searching for him, according to a prior report from WDIV-TV (Channel 4, clickondetroit.com). Officers joined in the search and found the boy in a park with a jungle gym and basketball court at the Clinton Cooperative housing complex next door. First-responders conducted life-saving efforts.
Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
“The charges against Derricka Fleming reflect the gravity of the situation and the responsibility she bears in the death of her son,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a news release. “It is alleged that she placed her child to bed and left him unattended, resulting in his tragic disappearance and subsequent discovery in a nearby park. The evidence suggests a severe breach of parental duty and neglect that led to this devastating outcome.”
Fleming was being held Wednesday afternoon in the county jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond, 10%. She is scheduled for a June 12 probable cause conference.
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