Baltimore Mother Allegedly Called a Lyft to Dispose of 4-Year-Old Son's Dead Body in Dumpster
A Baltimore mother is being charged this week on 11 counts, including involuntary manslaughter and child abuse, after 4-year-old Malachi Lawson’s body was found in a dumpster this weekend.
According to WJZ-TV, Alicia Lawson — Malachi’s biological mother — and her partner Shatika Lawson have both been implicated in neglecting to have Malachi treated for brutal burns for nine days, leading to his untimely death last Thursday.
According to the FBI, the mother had searched on her phone for trash collection sites the day her son died. Alicia Lawson, 25, reportedly also used ride-sharing app Lyft to transport her son’s body 10 miles in a black trash bag for disposal in a public dumpster before reporting the boy missing.
Alicia Lawson first claimed she had left her son alone on his grandmother’s porch before she reported him missing. It was not until Saturday morning, after Lawson admitted her son was dead in interviews with the Baltimore Police Department, that officers found Malachi’s body, severely burned from the waist down, in the dumpster.
Alicia Lawson and Shatika Lawson, 40, told officials they had been giving Malachi a bath on July 23 when he sustained his injuries.
Court charging documents show what happened to 4-year-old boy https://t.co/acrdG4dh4E pic.twitter.com/5jtKURpUAS
— WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (@wbaltv11) August 6, 2019
Unwilling to report the burns at a local hospital for fear of having their son taken away by Child Protective Services, the Lawsons attempted to use home remedies and allow the boy to get better with time.
The two apparently had run-ins with CPS in the past, according to WMAR.
“We join our community in grieving for the tragic loss of Malachi Lawson,” Maryland Department of Human Services wrote in a statement to WMAR. “The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) strongly condemns all acts of violence against children and is committed to protecting vulnerable children all across Maryland.
The body of a 4-year-old Baltimore boy who was reported missing on Thursday has been recovered from a dumpster, after authorities said on Saturday that his mother confessed that he “was not missing, but deceased.” https://t.co/L23ZP1y7tE
— ABC News (@ABC) August 3, 2019
“Child Protective Services (CPS) has a duty to conduct either an investigation or a family assessment if someone reports that a child is in unsafe circumstances. Moreover, before closing an investigation, CPS will determine the nature, extent, and cause of any child abuse or neglect and, if possible, the person responsible for the abuse or neglect, and share that investigative report with law enforcement.
“The results of the investigation will be shared publicly by the appropriate agency when deemed permissible,” it added.
According to WJZ-TV, the two women told authorities after revealing Malachi’s death that the water had been so hot in the bathtub that dead skin had been peeled from the child’s body and floated in the bath water around him.
Court documents allege the Lawsons sought to “hide his injuries for the sake of their own well-being, which resulted in his death.”
They are both charged with counts including, but not limited to, involuntary manslaughter, first-degree child abuse, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and giving false statements to authorities.
Neither of the women were afforded bail, as they were both deemed flight risks. The judge reportedly also said in arraignment hearings that their choices simply did not make sense and showcased incredibly poor judgement.
The Lawsons could potentially face life behind bars if convicted.
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