A North Carolina mom is facing criminal charges stemming from the death of her 3-year-old son, who fell from an escalator and died, authorities said.
Jiterria Lightner will turn herself in this week to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police after warrants were issued to charge her with child abuse and neglect, news station WCNC reported.
Lightner was traveling with her son, Jaiden Cowart, and two other children when he fell in late September from the top of the escalator at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, police said. The boy was hospitalized and died three days later from blunt force injuries.
Police initially determined his death was an accident, but said their homicide unit was now looking at the case, NBC News reported.
“She’s a single mother that was watching three children at an airport, and I think the circumstances could have happened to a number of us,” Lightner’s attorney Michael Greene told WCNC. “I don’t think they rise to the level of a crime.”
If convicted, the grieving mom could face up to 150 days in jail, the outlet reported.