Background: The area of Alexandria Drive in Reedsville, W.Va. (Google Maps). Inset: Danielle Lee Murray (Tygart Valley Regional Jail).
A West Virginia woman is facing allegations that she left her 5-year-old son unattended near a busy roadway while she attempted to take a vehicle in Reedsville, according to authorities.
Danielle Lee Murray, 37, is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond.
Murray has been charged with child neglect, regional NBC and ABC affiliate WBOY reported.
The incident reportedly took place on June 4 in the area of Alexandria Drive in Reedsville, a small Preston County town in northern West Virginia. Authorities say the situation began when a vehicle owner noticed someone allegedly trying to steal their car.
The owner contacted law enforcement and reported that a woman — later alleged to be Murray — had gotten into the vehicle “and tried to steal it.”
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the local television station, the caller described the suspect as a “female [who] seems a ‘bit off.’” The complaint also stated that the woman appeared “unsteady” and was having trouble standing upright.
Troopers with the West Virginia State Police responded and soon spotted Murray walking about a mile from the scene in the direction of a gas station. When troopers asked if she was Murray, she allegedly said “no,” though authorities reported that they were able to identify her.
In the time that Murray allegedly tried to steal the car and then walked toward the gas station, she left a young child who was in her care “outside with no one supervising” at an apartment complex with a “heavy traffic of cars,” law enforcement said. One neighbor said the boy was “freaking out looking for” his mother, per the complaint.
The child was 5 years old and had autism, area CBS affiliate WDTV reported.
Another family member of the boy took custody of him, authorities noted. Murray was arrested and booked into jail.
