A mother was arrested on a charge of murder after taking her autistic son to an empty field and keeping him there until he died, according to police in Missouri.
Aldrich police said that they have arrested 42-year-old Kimberly Lightwine, following the death of her son, 19-year-old Austin Anderson.
In court, Lightwine pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of elder abuse. Her bail has been set at $250,000.
If convicted, Lightwine faces up to 30 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, an autopsy revealed that Anderson died of dehydration after being in the hot field for several days without food or water.
Lightwine told police that she did meth before driving with her son to the empty field. She and her son then stayed in the field for several days.
Anderson suffered from autism and was blind. Anderson told police that her son tried to approach her, but she pushed him away.
She told him that she did not love him. She also asked God to take care of her son. Lightwine admitted that she was a bad mother and that she killed her son.
