A Virginia woman and her boyfriend were on meth when her toddler daughter drowned in a nearby river, deputies say.
According to the Wythe County Sheriff's Office, Kimberly Dawn Moore and Adrian Neil Puckett, both 45, were charged with felony child neglect and endangerment early Wednesday, just hours after Moore's 3-year-old daughter, Josie Burleson, went missing Tuesday evening near the New River Trail off Rocky Hollow Road.
When deputies arrived, Moore and Puckett said the girl had wandered off while playing. After a 5 1/2-hour search, crews found the girl's body in the river at 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office said.
Sheriff Keith Dunagan told WSLS-TV that Moore and Puckett had been high on methamphetamine when they lost track of Josie. He added that he didn't know whether Puckett was the girl's father.
The pair, who were taken to the New River Regional Jail, could face additional charges in the case, Dunagan said.
Read more here or here.
About the Author
