Meridian, Mississippi: The mother of a 5-year-old child whose remains appear to have been found in a Mississippi basement faces criminal charges, although police don't believe she killed the boy.
Local news outlets report 24-year-old Teasia Warren was charged Thursday with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Meridian Municipal Court.
Law enforcement officials believe the remains of a child found in a garbage bag Sept. 11 belonged to Jakie Toole, Warren's son. Police say Warren told them she left Toole and another child with a caregiver, 35-year-old Celeste Louise Smith, and that she last saw Toole in April.
Meridian Police Chief Bennie Dubose has said Smith was living in the basement of a friend's home and Warren's children lived there with her.
Toole has been described as unable to talk or walk.
Warren reported Toole missing on Sept. 4, telling police she was earlier told the children were living with someone else in Jackson. Smith was charged with capital murder and child neglect and is being held without bail.
An autopsy found the child suffered blunt force trauma and broken ribs. Officials await results of a DNA test to confirm the body is Toole's.
It's unclear what lawyer is representing Warren.
