A woman was arrested Monday in connection with her 3-year-old child’s death, weeks after he was found on the front porch of their North Carolina home in freezing temperatures, authorities said.
Jamie Basinger is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse in Landyn Melton’s death.
"It was just a terrible tragedy," Basinger said.
Officers were called in March to a home on Hopewell Road after someone drove by the house and spotted a child on the front porch.
Investigators believe that Landyn wandered outside sometime during the night and died after being exposed to the freezing conditions for too long. Wind chill values in Burke County that night were below zero.
Deputies said Basinger and her boyfriend were asleep in the home. According to the indictment, Basinger failed to supervise her son, resulting in his death.
Search warrants in the case were unsealed on Thursday. Basinger admitted to using methamphetamine and marijuana in the two days before her son's death, according to court documents.
The search warrants said deputies wanted a sample of Basinger's blood to see if drugs might have contributed to her son's death. The documents revealed that Basinger last saw her son alive at 10:30 p.m., the night before his death.
"I love my kids to death and I would never do nothing to hurt him," Basinger said.
She was asked if she understood why she was being charged, and she shook her head.
Deputies said Basinger was arrested after they questioned her about the case. They said they spent hours collecting evidence at the home on the morning of Landyn's death.
Basinger was given a $100,000 bond.
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