A judge in Washington County Circuit has ordered mental evaluations for the mother of a 5-year-old boy whose body was discovered in a suitcase in Indiana in 2022. The mother, facing charges of murder, neglect, and obstruction of justice in the death of her son, will undergo evaluations to determine her competency to stand trial.
The judge's decision follows a bizarre court appearance where the woman made unusual statements, including claiming she had been under federal surveillance and identifying herself with a name starting with 'Princess.'
The defendant had sent messages to the court, one of which requested the dismissal of her case, a plea that was denied by the judge. Another message indicated her decision to represent herself after firing her public defender.
The woman, who was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in California after evading authorities for nearly two years, is scheduled to appear in court on April 25, with a tentative trial date set for August.
The body of the 5-year-old boy was found by a mushroom hunter in a wooded area northwest of Louisville, Kentucky. An autopsy revealed that the child died from dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, with investigators estimating his death occurred approximately a week before the discovery of his body.
In a related development, a second woman involved in the case reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in November. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with five years suspended to probation, after pleading guilty to charges including aiding murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and obstruction of justice.
