JAMES NELSON - 2 yo/ Accused: Mother; Audrionna Rhoades - Shelby Township MI

Michigan woman, 21, charged with murder in death of toddler son left buckled in sweltering minivan
Audrionna Rhoades facing abuse, second-degree murder charges for Sept. 3 death of 2-year-old

Author: Halston Herrera
Published On: Sep 24 2013 01:51:05 PM EDT
Updated On: Sep 24 2013 07:01:27 PM EDT

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A woman who is accused of leaving her 2-year-old son to die buckled inside a sweltering minivan was arraigned Tuesday on charges.

Audrionna Rhoades, 21, of Shelby Township sobbed as she was charged with child abuse, as well as second-degree murder.

Prosecutor Eric Smith says that Rhoades left her son James Nelson buckled to the seat in the van the morning of Sept. 3, then drove another vehicle to work. He says that 9½ hours later, a roommate noticed James's foot through the window of the van. The child was freed but died soon after at a hospital.

Audrionna's father, Johnny Rhoades, says no way his daughter did this.

"My goal in this is to find out in the end what happened to that baby that's it. I was brought up that you own up to what you do wrong, she was too. I don't think she did it," he said.

The family says there are other people who had access to the child on that day and this case is not as simple as people would make it.

"It's just too many little things that don't make sense, they don't add up. I want the truth I don't care who did it, I want the truth," said Audrionna's father.

Rhoades was arraigned via video and pleaded not guilty. She will be given a court appointed attorney. Her bond was set at $500,000.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan-woman-21-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-toddler-son-left-buckled-in-sweltering-minivan/-/1719418/22083624/-/lit1h9z/-/index.html