Update May 31, 10:32 a.m. EST: Breanna Lewis admitted to detectives that she made up a story about her baby Harlee Lane Lewis being abducted, and she may face additional charges.
The coroner placed Harlee Lane Lewis' death between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, WSOC reports. That is approximately six hour before Breanna Lewis called 911, claiming a man punched her and kidnapped her daughter, which triggered a local Amber Alert.
Credit: WSOCTV.com
Credit: WSOCTV.com
Major Briana Davis with the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office was one of the deputies who discovered the toddler’s remains, which were found about 1,000 yards from Breanna Lewis’ home.
She told WSOC that they were searching the isolated rental home on Jackson Road East when they discovered a large path and foot prints.
"After 22 years of doing this job, certain things don't add up," Davis told WSOC. "I was already in the mindset of, 'that baby is here somewhere and it's not going to be good.'"
WSOC reports that investigators questioned Lewis Tuesday night for the second time.
"She became real fuzzy, to the point that she said she blacked out and had no recollection of what may have happened to the child," Sheriff Jay Brooks told WSOC.
Lewis has no criminal past and has no Department of Social Services cases in South Carolina. Investigators said they are checking with authorities in North Carolina, where Lewis is from.
The autopsy on Harlee Lane Lewis was completed Wednesday but the preliminary results have not been released. A full toxicology and blood test on the toddler’s body is expected to take several more days.
Lewis remains in jail and has not had a bond hearing on either charge.
Original story: A 19-year-old mother was arrested in South Carolina after she claimed her 11-month-old daughter was kidnapped and police later found the child dead in a plastic bag, WSOC reports.
Breanna Lewis has been charged with improper disposal of human remains.
Autopsy this morning on the toddler found dead in Chesterfield County. The child’s mother will be interviewed by detectives again today. Forensic investigators have been called in to help. The only charge right now on Breanna Lewis is filing a false police report. pic.twitter.com/BjQaNPvUr5
— Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) May 30, 2018
“She was home alone with that child since early this morning. Nobody heard anything. Nobody saw anything,"
Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks told WSOC.
An Amber Alert for the child, Harlee Lane Lewis, was issued in Chesterfield County after Breanna Lewis claimed a man ripped the child out of her arms while she was walking out to get the mail. She told investigators the man punched her and fled with the child in an SUV.
When deputies searched the area, they found the body of the infant in a plastic bag hidden in a diaper box about 1,000 yards from the home.
Officials told WSOC they believe Breanna Lewis is the main suspect in this case and bruises she sustained on her face were the result of a car accident, not an assailant.
Investigators are planning an autopsy of the child to determine cause of death, and Breanna Lewis may face additional charges.
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