A teenage mother who allegedly killed her two-year-old son by placing him under a mattress and leaving him there for half an hour as a form of discipline has been indicted on a murder charge.
Raven Campbell, 19, from Memphis, Tennessee, reportedly put little Jermyle Campbell under the mattress for '20 or 30 minutes' to punish him - something she had done numerous times before.
But this time, when she moved the heavy item from her son's body, he was not breathing.
Paramedics arrived at the family home and Jermyle was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead. An autopsy later showed that he had passed away from dehydration and hyperthermia.
The little boy was also found to have bite marks and scratches on his body - shocking injuries that Campbell admitted in an interview with police she was responsible for, detectives told Fox News.
Now, the teenage mother has been indicted on charge of first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse and neglect, according to The Commercial Appeal.
She was also indicted on a count of aggravated child endangerment yesterday in relation to her toddler son's death, Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich's office said in a news release.
According to a police affidavit, Campbell admitted that she had placed Jermyle under a mattress numerous times before as a form of discipline - and had done so for a final time on the day he died.
She said, this time, she had left the boy there for '20 to 30 minutes', it is alleged.
Paramedics were called to the home in the 3400 block of Fairoaks Avenue on June 13 after Campbell realized her son was not breathing, where they discovered Jermyle lying unresponsive, police said.
They transported the infant to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after suffering from a fatal combination of dehydration and a body temperature greatly above normal.
Following the alleged murder, Campbell's mother claimed she had never witnessed her daughter abusing Jermyle - and said the teenager has had mental health issues since the age of 15.
'I want her to do time,' she told The Commercial Appeal. 'But I want her to get help in a mental institution, medication, whatever she needs... I want my daughter to get some help.'
Campbell was initially charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, and aggravated child endangerment, before her charges were upgraded to first-degree murder.
In June, Memphis Police revealed they had been called to the family home dozens of times before - for reasons ranging from domestic disturbances to woundings and a possible attempted suicide.
It is unclear whether anyone else was living at the address at the time of Jermyle's death.
Campbell is currently being held without bond.
Online jail records do not indicate whether she has a lawyer.
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