SCHENECTADY, New York — A mother in Schenectady, New York, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the death of her missing 11-month-old daughter. Persia Nelson, 24, faces second-degree murder charges of depraved indifference. The shocking discovery of the infant’s body was made inside a utility tunnel at a General Electric facility.
Chief Eric Clifford of the Schenectady Police Department revealed during a press conference that security at the facility had alerted authorities about a female trespasser on Saturday evening. The woman, later identified as Nelson, claimed that she had lost her child. Despite a search effort that night, the baby could not be located. The situation escalated the next morning when an Amber Alert was issued out of concern for a potential abduction.
Tragically, officials found the lifeless body of the 11-month-old girl later that day in a utility tunnel structure at the same General Electric facility. Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney stated that the baby had been dropped from a height of about eight feet into standing water in the tunnel. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was exposure and hypothermia.
Nelson was later apprehended at the General Electric security building. During her arraignment, it was revealed that she has another child whom she does not have custody of. The motive behind this heartbreaking crime remains unclear at this time.
The Schenectady Public Defender’s Office, representing Nelson, has not commented on the situation. The investigation into this tragic incident continues as the community grapples with the loss of such a young life.