BEL AIR, Md. — A North Carolina mother faces charges for allegedly beating her 3-year-old son to death outside a business in Maryland. An off-duty Hartford County Sheriff's Deputy driving by first noticed the child lifeless in his mother's arms Sunday morning in Bel Air and called for backup.
(Editor's Note: The details in this story may be considered disturbing. Read with caution.)
At 5:25 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to 404 North Main Street in Bel Air for a suspicious situation involving a child in his mother's arms. At the scene, officers found an infant suffering from life-threatening injuries and immediately tried to save him. He was rushed to the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center by Harford County EMS, where he was later pronounced dead at 6 a.m.
Police have identified the infant boy as 3-year-old Jason Garcia of Morganton, North Carolina. His mother has been identified as 37-year-old Gloria Elena Hughes.
An investigation reveals the day prior, on Dec. 2, the boy's father called the Morganton, NC Police Department to complain of a child custody issue. He told police that his child and the child's mother, Gloria Hughes, were headed to Maryland.
That same day, both police and medical staff confirmed that both Hughes and her child checked into the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. The child had been admitted to the emergency room for a reported ingestion of a boracic acid suppository.
Video surveillance shows the child and mom leaving the hospital on Sunday at 12:15 a.m.
Just hours later, surveillance footage provided by a Self Storage Plus in Bel Air shows the mother beating her 3-year-old son outside the business. Detectives say Hughes can be seen on recording slamming the child and his head against the ground, multiple times. The child then did not move for reportedly over an hour.
Medical staff who examined the child said he had some sort of road rash on his face and a large skull fracture, ultimately leading to his death.
Gloria Elena Hughes has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for her alleged involvement in her son's death. She is in custody at Hartford County Detention Center awaiting processing.
Detectives say there are no other suspects involved in the child's death nor is there an ongoing threat to the community.
The investigation into this infant's death is active and ongoing.
A motive has yet to be determined.
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