NJ.com reports that a Bridgeton woman has been charged with killing her toddler, after his remains were found burned and dismembered in her backyard. She was set to face a judge this morning (Feb. 19) at the Superior Court detention hearing in Cumberland County to determine if she will remain jailed, but failed to appear.
24-year-old Nakira M. Griner is accused of killing her 23-month-old son Daniel Griner Jr. after claiming he was kidnapped.
On Feb. 8, she called 911 to report that she was attacked while walking to a store with her two children to get Pedialyte. Surveillance video caught Griner pushing what was believed to be an empty stroller, with her infant son strapped to her chest.
Authorities say she later admitted to hitting the child after he "would not eat nor listen" to her so she hit Daniel so hard, leaving bruises on his face. She also said he fell down a flight of stairs.
After police arrived at her home, investigators spoke to her husband and were able to discover Daniel's burned remains in a handbag and under a shed at the Griner family's Woodland Drive home, after smelling a burnt smell in the house.
Griner is charged with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, desecration of human remains and tampering with evidence. She remains in protective custody on suicide watch at Cumberland County Jail.
Defense attorney Kimberly Schultz waived her right to appear in court, saying a court hearing would be detrimental to her health.
For more in-depth details from the hearing and the investigation, read the NJ.com article here.