Tennessee mom Vanessa Blanchard, 39, told the school of her son with autism that he died from a seizure after asking why he wasn't reporting to his classes. However, the actual reason for the boy's absence might send his mother to prison after the police found the 12-year-old boy abandoned and locked up in a motel.
Following an investigation, Blanchard was charged with a false impression of death and delinquency of a minor after confessing to authorities she lied about the death of her son with autism, per reports from WZTV. The boy, who has remained unnamed, was discovered after he opened the laptop issued by the New Providence Middle School, which traced his location at the Vacation Motor Motel.
News of the boy's death spread in school, leaving some of the kids very upset. Mom Alicia Maslo told reporters that her son came home one day "bawling his eyes out, hugging me" because he could not believe that his friend was no longer alive.
School Raised Money for the Funeral
The school organized a fundraiser to help with the boy's funeral arrangements, which was common among small communities. However, when they were ready to turn over the money, Sykes Funeral Home informed them that no funeral arrangements were made for Blanchard's son with autism.
Perplexed, the school officials contacted the mother, who told them that her son's body was not yet released at the hospital because of a pending autopsy. However, they discovered something peculiar about the boy's laptop, which informed his whereabouts several miles away from their community. The school reported their discovery to the cops, who launched an investigation.
Detectives reached out to Blanchard, who eventually confessed that her son with autism did not die of a seizure, but she left him in a motel alone for weeks. The mom claimed she checked up on her son once a day, but the police had little reason to believe that she did.
Meanwhile, Anthony Johnson of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said that Blanchard did not receive the money raised for her son. To their knowledge, the family was given flowers only, and nothing else was provided before everyone found out that the boy was still alive.
Maslo said that she and her son were shocked to see the boy at a game store in December, several weeks after his "death."
"It's the most disgusting thing that I could have ever heard," Maslo said. "I could never imagine my child being gone, let alone lying about it."
Out on Bail
Blanchard is currently out on a $10,000 bond after the cops detained her as she faces a trial for her crimes. She is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, January 20, but her public defender, Jeffrey P. Watts, refuses to comment on her case since it's already pending in court.
The mom's offenses of creating a false impression of death and contributing to the delinquency of a minor are both Class A misdemeanors in Tennessee. She could face up to a year in prison for each of her crimes if convicted.
Her son with autism, on the other hand, is safe and healthy. It's unclear if the boy has returned to the same school, but a spokesperson for the police will not comment on who has custody of the boy today.
