A Douglasville mother was arrested and charged with murder in the death of her 3-year-old child from exposure to the sub-zero temperatures, according to the sheriff's office.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies said that the mother, identified as Uriha Ridge, was found in the woods with her two small children far from Fox Hall Resort, a hotel she had been staying at last Tuesday.
The Children were 'Soaking Wet,' Mother was Under the Influence of Drugs
Deputies said the children were "soaking wet." Ridge and her two children were rushed to the hospital, where her 3-year-old died from what deputies said was from being outside all night long.
Investigators said Ridge had taken drugs before heading into the woods and took more while she was out in the elements. Ridge allegedly left the resort hotel off Capps Ferry Road in Douglasville around midnight on Jan. 16 and did not call for help until 11:51 a.m. the same morning -- nearly a full 12 hours later.
Deputies said they believe that the drugs Ridge was on are responsible for her taking her 3-year-old and 7-year-old children into the woods, dressed in thin clothes and staying out in the woods in the rain and sub-freezing temperatures for hours before her toddler died and the young child was hospitalized.
Toddler Died from 'Exposure to the Elements'
The toddler died from "exposure to the elements," the sheriff's office said. Ridge has been charged with felony murder, two counts of first degree cruelty to children, and two counts of second degree cruelty to children. She was ordered held without bond.
