Darla Luke Mississippi mom charged with felony child abuse just days after CPS returned her 9 children for child neglect. Had been living in a motel.
A Mississippi woman been accused of murder, just days after she was charged with felony child neglect of her 2-month-old son who was found deceased at a hotel earlier this week.
Clinton police were called to the Econo Lodge on Tuesday where they found the lifeless baby. The child’s mother, Darla Luke, 34, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse and ordered held on a $25,000 bond WAPT reported.
Luke’s other eight children were placed in the care of their grandmother.
The management of the hotel told the police that he heard a woman crying from inside a hotel room at approximately ten in the morning. Other nearby residents confirmed to the police that they had also heard screams before calling 911.
Officers discovered the dead two-month-old infant inside a room as soon as they arrived at the site.
A mother is behind bars, facing felony child abuse.
Just less than a month ago, Clinton Police say Darla Luke was charged with misdemeanor child neglect. pic.twitter.com/jdpCK7SIKi
— Thao Ta (@ThaoTaTV) June 23, 2022
Why did CPS return children to mom?
According to the manager of the hotel, the hotel room had been used as a residence for five individuals, including many children, for the past month and a half according to KKTV.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said the State Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine cause of death. She said the death was possibly asphyxiation from a co-sleeping situation.
City spokesperson Amanda Jones said that Luke was charged with misdemeanor child neglect on June 7 related to living conditions and incidents at the home.
The children were removed from her custody, only for Child Protection Services to return the children to her sometime between June 7 and June 21. It remained unclear why the child protection agency returned the children in the mother’s care.
