According to the court documents, the 62-year-old mother reportedly told investigators that she fed the disabled child a half-cup of windshield washer fluid because she wanted to set him free. On Monday, a criminal investigator testified that the mother reportedly admitted to intentionally serving her adopted son a lethal dose of windshield washer fluid in a plastic cup. “She knew it was a toxic substance.” he said.
The 62-year-old mother from Pennsylvania, Mary Diehl, is facing one count of criminal homicide for allegedly killing Najir William Diehl last month.
On Monday, Trooper Geibel, a criminal investigator with the Pennsylvania State Police, testified that the mother reportedly admitted to intentionally serving her adopted son a lethal dose of windshield washer fluid in a plastic cup. Investigators questioned the woman for more than eight hours on Nov. 8.
The 62-year-old woman called authorities right after 10 a.m. on Sept. 6 and told them that she found her son dead in his bed. The boy’s disability reportedly prevented him from walking on his own, prosecutors said. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
During an interview, the mother reportedly said that she believed her son suffocated in his sleep after having a seizure. Investigators also believed the boy died from natural causes due to his extensive health problems. The County Coroner did not perform an autopsy, but he sent blood samples to the crime lab for toxicology testing.
The toxicology results showed that, at the time of his death, the boy had a deadly amount of methanol in his system. The forensic pathologist Dr. Vey continued to analyze the results and ultimately concluded that the boy’s death was the result of methanol toxicity administered in a single dose on the night of Sept. 5, according to reports.
The mother then reportedly admitted that following dinner on Sept. 5, she and her adopted son went into the living room and she brought him a plastic cup filled with approximately five inches of windshield washer fluid. The mother also said she gave the cup to the boy, knowing that he would drink anything he was given, and he drank it immediately.
Investigators recovered the washer fluid from her tool room but were unable to recover the cup the defendant said she used to serve Najir. Prosecutors said another 10-year-old child was also at the house the night Najir was poisoned. She was not harmed and is currently staying with family.
The 62-year-old defendant is being held without bond. This story will be updated as new information become available.