3-Year-Old Girl Dies After Mom Allegedly Wanders into Woods with Her on Freezing Night After Using Drugs
Uriha Ridge is charged with felony murder and multiple counts of cruelty to children
A mother accused of taking her 3-year-old daughter and another child into the woods in sub-freezing temperatures after she used drugs is now charged with murder in connection with the girl's death.
According to a statement released on Facebook Wednesday by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Georgia, Uriha Ridge, 35, allegedly had taken drugs before she wandered into the woods near the Foxhall Resort in Douglasville at midnight on Jan. 16 with her 3-year-old daughter and 7-year-old child.
Authorities responded to Ridge's call for help the next morning at 11:51 a.m. and located her and her children in the woods near the resort with the help of two employees. She told authorities she had gotten "lost" in the woods. But according to the sheriff's office statement, Ridge's phone was fully charged and operating when they found her.
Per the statement, the children were "soaking wet" and minimally clothed when they were found. Authorities also knew that temperatures had dropped below freezing overnight and that it had rained for more than 11 hours.
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All three parties were taken to a nearby hospital where Ridge's 3-year-old daughter — who has been identified by Fox 5 as Alina — died. The condition of her 7-year-old sibling is unknown at this time.
Per the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Ridge is currently charged with felony murder, two counts of first-degree cruelty to children and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children.
It's not immediately clear if she has entered pleas to the charges against her or retained an attorney.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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