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It's shocking enough that a mother was seen killing her one-year-old son in broad daylight. But the way this woman did it is baffling. Police say Johnesha Monae Perry kissed her baby before pushing him over a bridge into the river below.
The tragic incident took place over the Lehigh Bridge in Allentown, PA. Just after shoving her baby into the water 50 feet below Perry threw herself into the river after him. She was found along the riverbank, alive.
The baby was found 700 yards downstream without a pulse. Court documents state that his body "appeared to be engorged with water and had a swollen face." Emergency personnel worked to revive him and he stayed on life support in the hospital for six days before being declared brain dead. According to the autopsy, he died from blunt force trauma and drowning.
Police say Perry intended to kill her son, but no motive has been revealed. The mother is awaiting trial in jail.
It takes extraordinary circumstances to drive a woman to kill her own child. Something must have broken for this woman long before she took this horrible action. She may be mentally ill, or she may be addicted to drugs. Unfortunately we've seen these stories many, many times before.
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But what's haunting is that she kissed her baby before killing him. Some part of her must have felt compassion for him, as bizarre as that seems. Maybe, in her twisted way, she felt like she was sending him to a better place. She wasn't. But her goodbye kiss makes this story so much more heartbreaking.
What do you think most often drives women kill their own children?
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