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The mother who pushed her three-year-old son on a park swing for two days until he died believed the voices telling her someone was going to come.

*WARNING – this story contains disturbing content*

Romechia Simms stopped taking her schizophrenia medication because she believed it wasn’t working and didn’t understand the gravity of her illness, her public defender, Elizabeth Connell, said at a hearing in Charles County Circuit Court, reports The Washington Post.

She put her son Ji’Aire in the swing but found herself unable to lift him out, Connell said.

“And then the voices started telling her, ‘Don’t worry. Someone is coming. Someone is going to come,’ ” her attorney said.

She waited as night fell. She waited as it began to rain. She waited as the temperature fell to 51 degrees.

“She was just trapped,” Connell said. “What was happening was a mental breakdown, mental illness taking over her.” And she kept pushing the swing, even as her son lost consciousness.

Forty hours passed before a neighbour noticed that something was wrong and called police. When sheriff’s deputies arrived at the park on May 22, Ji’Aire’s body was so stiff that they had to cut him out of the swing.

A medical examiner concluded that the boy died of hypothermia and dehydration and ruled his death a homicide. Romechia was charged with manslaughter and first-degree child abuse.

The Charles County judge ruled she can remain free as long as she meets certain conditions, including being monitored by state psychologists, avoiding unsupervised contact with children and having her blood tested to verify that she is taking her medication.

Therapy is helping her cope, she says, but she adds, “I will never get over losing my son.”

She still has his clothes packed away. She has not been able to bring herself to give anything away.

“Sometimes I find myself doing weird things, like I will grab his socks and just hold onto his socks,” she says. “Or I will grab one of his toy balls and hold onto his ball — anything that helps me to feel close — that I know was his.”

“Some days are worse than others,” she says. “I just try to keep family and friends around me that love me and support me. But there are times I feel really down and depressed. I think it’s going to be that way for a while. ”

“I hate the way things happened,” she says. “But there is nothing I can do to change that. I will always keep [Ji’Aire] close to my heart. Even though he is not here physically, I still feel him spiritually. I just know I will see him again one day.”

PREVIOUSLY…

You may recall this story when it broke last year of Little Ji’Aire Donnell Lee who died of dehydration and low body temperature after his mother, Romechia Simms, spent two whole days pushing him on the swing.

His mother has been charged with manslaughter and child abuse following the horror discovery last year, but has been spared jail and will not face time in a mental hospital following a plea deal.

Homeless Simms admitted a lesser charge, meaning she was not responsible for Ji’Aire’s death.

She previously objected to prosecutors calling her a danger and a flight risk, saying: “I’m not a risk to anybody, I didn’t even mean for this to happen.”

Police found the mum and dead toddler on May 22 last year after concerned members of public called to say they had seen Simms pushing the youngster at odd hours of the night.

It is thought they arrived at the park at around 11.15am on May 20 – a full two days before the pair were found by police.

Upon arrival, officers found Ji’Aire’s jacket in a nearby bin and his shoes off his feet, full of rain water.

At a hearing on Monday it was ruled Simms is schizophrenic, but not dangerous according to WUSA9.

She has been ordered to continue taking her medication, see a psychiatrist and meet any terms given by a court as part of her five-year conditional release.

Simms’ lawyer, Elizabeth Connell, said: “I’m happy with this outcome, this was the right thing to do.”

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  • Such a terrible tragedy. That poor little boy

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  • This is so so awful. Schizophrenia and the paranoia that comes with it is horrible.

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  • Poor little boy. The woman must needed support, somebody who could tell she was not taking her meds

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  • Wow, this is so sad.
    Can’t believe she took it into her own hands to diagnose that her medication wasn’t working.
    That poor little boy.


    • you obviously don’t understand how schizophrenia actually works !!.. ppl with schizophrenia don’t think their sick

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  • Oh my, can’t imagine what she is going through so heartbreaking.

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  • This is incredibly heartbreaking, that poor child. I just couldn’t imagine. How could no one have noticed something wasn’t right?

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  • I had a neighbour who was schizophrenic and some of the things he would do in his own world I can understand how this could happen but for 2 days no one noticed her pushing the child or acting strangely I find that so strange in itself super sad story

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  • Wow, this is crazy to think. If only someone called sooner or went to speak to her

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  • So very sad and surprising people didn’t notice sooner that something was wrong.

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  • What a tragedy and given her remorse I believe she has been punished enough and a lot of time will be needed for her to recover, but maybe never fully. God bless her and may he restore her.

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  • What a horrible tragedy. I hope she gets all the right help and support she needs now.

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  • So so tragic. I do think she should have spent some time in some sort of treatment facility at least

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  • Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that needs to monitored closely.
    This Mum needed to hospitalised until she went back on her medication and checks made to ensure it was effective, and not too much or not enough in her bloodstream. The Mental Health System is failing for those who need support, and checks made to ensure their medication is taken, not simply forgotten as some accidentally do (I know other people with other medical problems sometimes forget theirs too).


    • unfortunately it’s not a crime to actually have schizophrenia and they can’t be forced to take meds , which is a shame as most with schizophrenia think nothing is wrong with them and stop taking the meds and yes the mental health system in most countries fails people as i’ve found out first hand with my schizophrenic son

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  • Its stunning to me that it was 40hours before anyone paid attention and thought that something was not right with the woman in the park with the little boy.
    So very tragic.

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  • I remember reading this story here in the comm. So sad for that beautiful little boy! :-(

    Reply

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