Woman Charged With Abandoning Disabled Son In Park Faces Judge
By Kristen Johanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The mother accused of leaving her disabled son in a Southwest Philadelphia park last spring appeared before a judge Monday.
41-year-old Nyia Parler waived her preliminary hearing, as several misdemeanor charges were dropped against her.
Parler is accused of abandoning her 21-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, for five days in April with nothing but a Bible and a blanket.
Parler sat quietly, tears streaming down her face, as the judge asked a series of questions. Her Attorney, Kevin Mincey, says she suffers from a mental health disorder:
"Ms. Parler has been portrayed as this evil monster, who left her son in the woods, as she went to go frolic with her boyfriend in Maryland, and what really happened is Ms. Parler is a single mom who cared for a child who needed 24/7 car for his entire life."
Parler has been charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault and Kidnapping.
"We are going to continue negotiating the District Attorney's office and my own office is conducting an investigation into the facts of this case and what happened," Mincey says. "and we have uncovered some interesting documents that we look forward to presenting to the court when the time is right.
Her next court date is in September.