Amber Griffith mug shot (Marion County Jail) and the home where her son allegedly got frostbite (WXIN screenshot)
A 28-year-old mother in Indiana was arrested last week for allegedly keeping her 3-year-old son in a freezing house with no heat for weeks, resulting in the child’s foot turning black from frostbite so severe that his leg may need to be amputated. Amber Griffith was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with two counts of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
“It’s certainly a disturbing case that our child abuse detectives are working,” Officer William Young of the Indianapolis Police Department told Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN.
According to court documents obtained by the station, Griffith brought her son with her to a hospital on Jan. 19 because she and the child were both experiencing foot pain. Temperatures that day and in the preceding days had dropped into single digits. However, when doctors examined the child, they reportedly found that the entirety of one of his feet had turned black due to severe frostbite.
The 3-year-old went into surgery that day where doctors attempted to remove the damaged tissue from the boy’s foot, but later reportedly said that he may still end up having to have his leg amputated just below the knee.
Law enforcement authorities were contacted regarding the boy’s condition and investigators learned that Griffith and her son lived with the boy’s grandmother and another relative in a home located in the 1100 block of E. Gimber Street.
In an interview with police, Griffith reportedly said that the home lacked heat and running water because the pipes had frozen. She also admitted to knowing that something was wrong with her son’s foot for nearly a month.
“Amber (Griffin) said (the child’s) foot was discolored 2-3 weeks prior to going to the hospital but then became normal again,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Kansas City Star. “Amber said 2-3 days prior to the hospital, his foot looked normal and maybe a little drained of color.”
Despite her son’s condition, the visit to the hospital was reportedly prompted by Griffin herself beginning to experience pain in her foot.
The victim’s grandmother reportedly told investigators that she did not know anything was wrong with the boy until she was helping him put his shoes on as they were preparing to go to the hospital.
Additionally, Griffin allegedly made several bizarre claims while speaking to police. Per WXIN, she allegedly admitted to using heroin and methamphetamine and said that she had given birth to twins last year, then beat one of them to death and buried the child herself.
Police learned that in 2015, Griffin had two children taken from her because of the deplorable conditions in which they were living. Police executed a search warrant on the home but found no indication of human remains.
“This investigation is still active and ongoing, but it’s so important for adults — not just police and hospital personnel — to speak up for kids whenever we have a case like this,” Officer Young said.
