Police announced Tuesday they had arrested Uriha Ridge, a mother of two children, over charges of child cruelty and alleged felony murder of one of her children.
Ridge allegedly led her “minimally clothed” children into the cold and damp woods at night for more than 11 hours on Jan. 16, leading to her three-year-old child dying and her seven-year-old being hospitalized, Georgia’s Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. (RELATED: Maintenance Workers Find Starving 2-Year-Old Girl Bound With Duct Tape, Police Say)
“Throughout the investigation, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was able to determine that Uriha Ridge had been consuming illicit drugs before and during the time of being in the woods with her children. Uriha is believed to have entered the woods at Fox Hall resort with her children at around 12:00 am and did not call for help until the next morning at 11:51 am, despite having a cell phone with a properly charged battery,” the post read in part.
Ridge is being held in jail without the possibility of bond and is set to appear in court “later this week,” Douglas County Sheriff’s Office noted.
Police maintain that Ridge was allegedly taking cocaine and marijuana during the night journey, local news outlet WJCL 22 reported. Police also clarified that Alina Pascal, the three-year-old who passed away, was Ridge’s daughter, the outlet noted. Elijah, Ridge’s seven-year-old son, who was hospitalized from the ordeal, is now under the care of other family members, FOX 5 reported.
If found guilty, Ridge could face up to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the outlet.
Douglas County mother accused in toddler’s death while ‘lost’ in woods makes first appearance https://t.co/TVcV2ae2hq
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) January 26, 2024
Ridge was previously charged with assault and abuse toward children back in November 2022, the outlet noted. According to the warrant, she allegedly beat Alina and dropped her while “heavily intoxicated” but was allowed to keep her children following posting a $5,000 bail, attending a parenting class program and getting therapy for her alcohol problem, the outlet reported. The warrant mentioned that Ridge failed to submit her required monthly proof of attendance at the parenting class and therapy program.