A 36-year-old woman who was allegedly high on drugs took her two children for a drive. However, the car got stuck near County Road 54 in Colorado. According to the officials, it was a road not frequently traveled in the winter months. The car was stranded on the deserted road and the woman, along with her 18-month-old and her 3-year-old daughters abandoned the car and kept walking.
“She shut her car off, then she could not get it to start again,” the arrest warrant states. “She and her children sat in the car for about four hours, hoping that someone would come along and help them.”
When no one came, “she realized she probably had sat in the car too long,” the warrant says. “She decided to take her children and began walking towards what she thought was a house. She stated it turned out that what she thought was a house, was not, instead it (sic) be a pump house. It soon became dark, then it started snowing.” Two days later, help arrived after the MCSO was notified about a “suspicious vehicle” near County Road 54 in Moffat County on March 11 at about 8 a.m. First responders who turned up to the car found it empty and a rescue plane spotted the family a mile away. The 18-month-old was found dead, while Messerly and the three-year-old were rushed through the snow on a utility vehicle with treads to a waiting ambulance so they could be taken to the nearest hospital.
It was then revealed that Messerly allegedly tested positive for methamphetamines, amphetamines, and THC when she was rescued. The three-year-old girl underwent feet amputations because of severe frostbite, the warrant says. Doctors called the frostbite “one of if not the worst cases [sic] they had ever seen at Children’s Hospital,” the warrant states. Messerly’s toes had to be amputated as well.
The young child contracted an infection that required two additional surgeries. “She is still in hospital though, fighting,” Lisa Hernandez, who identified as the girls’ cousin, wrote. After a month-long investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Messerly, who was taken into custody and booked into the Moffat County Jail, where she remains held.
Messerly’s sister, Amy Messerly who started a GoFundMe for Emma’s headstone requested people to donate as much as they can spare. “Emma was the cutest ever,” Amy Messerly said. “She was such a character. She had so much personality. I will never forget her little face.” Now, Messerly has been arrested on two felonies, Child Abuse Resulting In Death and Child Abuse Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury. She remains jailed on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond and is scheduled to return to court for advisement.