A Missouri mother has been charged with second-degree murder after she left her blind and autistic son in a field until he died.
Kimberly Lightwine, 42, has been charged with second-degree murder and abuse after police found her son, Austin Anderson, 19, dead in a field wearing only a diaper.
Anderson was found 15 to 20 feet from a vehicle on Aug. 29 in a field near Morrisville. Lightwine was found nearby in the field, lying face down wearing nothing but a pair of panties. According to KYTV, the mother was spotted waving her arms to get somebody’s attention. She had a broken leg.
Investigators believe Anderson could have died as early as Aug. 26.
When police found Lightwine, she asked for water and yelled that “she and God brought her baby into this world and that she had to help God take him out,” a probable cause statement revealed.
Officer Billy Simpson was the first to find the pair. Lightwine reportedly told him, “Billy, I killed my son.”
Lightwine was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree elder abuse — due to the disabled child being over 18 — on Sept. 3.
According to a police report, Anderson died of dehydration and lack of medication after being left in the field for an unspecified length of time.
Anderson’s father told police that his son was autistic and blind in both eyes. He also said that his son takes hydrocortisone medication and that without it, he would go into a coma and die. Anderson was unable to feed himself, change his own diapers, or give himself his medication.
“I’m a terrible mother,” Lightwine told a detective, according to the probable cause statement. “I got high, and I got depressed, and I think I am going to throw up.”
The mother told police that she had taken meth before driving herself and her son into the field where they were later found.
“I was mad as hell,” she told police. “I don’t remember why, I was just mad as … hell.”
Lightwine was unable to say exactly how long she and Austin were in the field.
“I don’t know, at least several days,” she told investigators. “I try to block it out.”
The two were in the field with no water, food, or medication. Anderson reportedly tried to curl into his mother’s arms, but she would not let him.
“My baby kept getting hot and kept coming back and wanting his mommy, but I knew it wasn’t good,” she said.
Each time, she would tell her son,” No, you don’t want to love me. Please let God take you.”
Lightwine is currently in a hospital in Springfield, Missouri. Her bond has been set at $250,000. She is facing between 10 to 30 years in prison for murder and up to 20 years for elder abuse. Sheriff Kay Williams says that when she is released from the hospital, she will be taken to the Polk County Jail.
