a mother kills her 2 year old child with Autism?

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Police: Montana mom kept dead son in car trunk

By MATT GOURAS, Associated Press Writer 14 minutes ago

The body of a toddler found in the trunk of his mother's car may have been there

for months as she drove around town, evaded questions about him and was even

arrested, police said.

The mother, Summer ManyWhiteHorses, was charged Monday with deliberate homicide.

Authorities say the body of her 2-year-old son, , was found Friday in the

trunk of her car — more than six weeks after it was towed to a wrecking yard

when she was arrested.

Deputy County Attorney said authorities have yet to determine how

or when the boy died. An autopsy is being conducted. According to court records,

ManyWhiteHorses told police the boy's death was an accident, and that she placed

his body in the car's trunk on May 29.

ManyWhiteHorses was being held on $250,000 bail. During a brief court hearing,

she appeared without an attorney and was provided forms for a public defender.

Personnel at the Cascade County Detention Center turned away a reporter's

attempt to speak with her Monday because it was outside visiting hours.

ManyWhiteHorses was first arrested July 21, after authorities said she was

driving erratically. As police attempted to pull her over, she drove through

several stoplights and crashed into a parked car. Her 11-year-old daughter was

in the back seat and, unknown to police, the toddler's body was apparently in

the trunk, authorities said.

Police officers did not search the trunk, and the car was towed. ManyWhiteHorses

was arrested, and child welfare officials began looking into placing the

daughter into state custody.

ManyWhiteHorses was given misdemeanor citations in connection with the crash and

later released from jail. Authorities said she did not retrieve her car even

though she was free to do so.

Child welfare officials moved for custody of the daughter in August and were

trying to determine the boy's whereabouts.

During the investigation, authorities learned that ManyWhiteHorses told

relatives the state had taken the toddler long ago, that state officials were

told initially the child was in Browning and then later that he was in Portland,

Ore.

" Her stories varied based upon who she was talking to, " said police Detective

Bruce McDermott.

Police were brought into the case last week after child welfare agents could not

verify the toddler's location. A short time later, ManyWhiteHorses told officers

the toddler, who had autism, had died in late May, according to court records.

ManyWhiteHorses told police she put the body in the trunk, wrapped in a blanket

inside a garbage bag, the affidavit said.

Officers went to the wrecking yard and found the boy's body in the trunk,

authorities said.

ManyWhiteHorses' aunt, Ernestine Small, said she had taken care of the two

children during ManyWhiteHorses' prior run-ins with the law. Small had been

hoping to take custody again this summer, but was told by ManyWhiteHorses that

the toddler had been placed in foster care.

" Nobody expected this, " Small said in an interview at the courthouse. " I know

she gets violent, but never thought she would do this to her baby. "

Both prosecutors and police said the officers followed the law by not searching

the trunk after ManyWhiteHorses' July 21 arrest, saying legal cause and a search

warrant would have been needed.

" Police had no reason to believe there was anything of evidentiary value in the

trunk, " McDermott said.

Small, ManyWhiteHorses' aunt, said the officers could not have known to search

the trunk.

" Why would they? " she said.