A tragic incident unfolded in Douglasville when a 3-year-old girl died after her mother allegedly took her and another small child into the woods on a perilously cold night. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Uriha Ridge, the mother, now faces felony murder charges for the death of her toddler, who suffered fatal exposure to freezing temperatures.
Ridge and her children were reported missing near Fox Hall Resort around midnight on Jan. 16. Found nearly 12 hours later¸drenched in a wooded area, the children were rushed to the hospital, but the 3-year-old, identified as Alina, did not survive. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies said they believe that the mother's drug use, having reportedly consumed cocaine and marijuana, is what led her out into the forest in such dangerous conditions, as 11Alive reports.
In a chilling detail, investigators found that Ridge, despite claiming that she was lost in the woods, actually had a charged phone on her the entire time and failed to summon help until nearly noon the following day. The night they vanished, temperatures plunged to 27 degrees, and the children were found wearing only thin clothes, soaked to the bone.
Reminiscent of prior transgressions, it was discovered by the FOX 5 I-Team that the incident wasn't Ridge's first brush with child abuse allegations. Last year, she had been arrested on charges related to the mistreatment of Alina. As the case unfolded with an arrest, the mother was granted bond and custody of her children was not relinquished despite the charges against her.
Ridge is now being held without bond in the Douglas County Jail. The charges levied against her include felony murder and multiple counts of first-degree and second-degree cruelty to children. The other child who was with Ridge on the night of Alina's tragic death has not had their condition disclosed. The sheriff's office continues to investigate the harrowing events that led to the young child's untimely demise.
