Woman confesses to abandoning son, running him over, dropping his body in Ohio River: Police
03/01/2021 3:08 pm PST
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (TCD) --
An Ohio woman confessed to running over her son, then disposing of his body with her boyfriend, two days after reporting the boy missing, police said Sunday.
Middletown Police said 6-year-old James Hutchinson was reported missing by his mother, Brittany Gosney, around 10:20 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28. He had last been seen wearing a shirt and Batman pajama pants.
After questioning Middletown residents Gosney and her boyfriend James Hamilton, investigators determined the boy had been killed on Friday within Preble County, Ohio.
Middletown Police said the boy’s body was then brought back to Middletown, and the body was later put into the Ohio River. The boy’s body had not been found as of Monday, March 1.
“The river is very high and treacherous, so we will not be disclosing the exact location in hopes of avoiding another tragic incident,” Middletown Police said in a news release.
WXIX-TV reports court records say Gosney is accused of driving the 6-year-old to a Preble County wildlife area on Friday to abandon the boy. She allegedly ran over the child when he tried to get back into the car. Gosney told police the boy’s body was dragged as she drove away. She allegedly returned about 30 minutes later, found him dead in the middle of the parking lot with a head injury, then picked him up and drove him back home to their Crawford Street residence and put his body in a bedroom, WXIX reports.
Middletown Police said Gosney’s two other children were in the car with her at the time. Neither of the other two kids were hurt, police said.
Middletown Police Chief David Birk said on Saturday, Gosney and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, drove to the Ohio River and put her son’s body in the water, possibly near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, WXIX reports.
Gosney reportedly confessed to killing the boy and working with Hamilton to hide the boy’s body.
Brittany Gosney, 29, was arrested and charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
James Hamilton, 42, was arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
Two other children in the household were taken into protective custody, police said.
Gosney and Hamilton are scheduled for a March 8 hearing.
MORE:
- Missing Child James Hutchinson - Middletown Division of Police Facebook
- Mother shows little remorse after confessing to killing son, police chief says - WXIX
- Bond set at $1 million for Middletown mother accused of killing son in Preble County park - Hamilton JournalNews
- Court docs: Middletown mom tried to abandon 6-year-old son in park before running him over with car - Cincinnati Enquirer