April Alexander (Adams County Sheriff’s Office).
A Mississippi woman is now charged with attempted murder after allegedly placing her 4-month-old son under a vehicle and threatening to harm him through texts and video sent to the child’s father, as reported by authorities.
April Alexander, 27, reportedly told her son in a video sent to his father, “Your daddy doesn’t want you,” according to The Natchez Democrat. The publication spoke with Natchez Police Chief Lee Best, who discussed the disturbing messages and video footage.
“The father, who resides in California, reached out to us after receiving these alarming communications,” Best explained to the newspaper.
On Monday morning, Alexander is alleged to have texted the child’s father while she was outdoors with their son. Alarmed, the father contacted authorities and shared the messages, which reportedly contained images he later posted online, depicting their child partially under a car.
One of the images allegedly showed Alexander with her foot on the child’s stomach, though these have since been removed from social media.
In the texts, Alexander allegedly warned, “I’m about to put him on the ground and run him over,” before taking photographs of their son beneath the vehicle. She purportedly added, “Dead a—,” according to police reports.
The video Alexander allegedly sent showed her grabbing the victim by his face and yelling at him as he cried, per The Democrat. The baby was located by authorities and said to be safe, according to police.
Two other individuals, Jessica Griffin and Dandridge Coats, were taken into custody and charged with attempting to hide Alexander in their home. They are facing charges of hindering prosecution and rendering criminal assistance.
“Griffin and Coats attempted to hide out Alexander in their residence while officers were going door to door trying to locate her,” Best said. “Both were arrested once she was discovered inside.”
Child Protective Services has been contacted and is investigating what happened, with Best saying they are working to determine whether to release the child to a family member or leave him with CPS.
