A 3-year-old is dead, a 7-year-old was hospitalized and their mother has been charged with murder after she took the children into the woods in freezing, rainy conditions overnight at a Douglasville resort, officials said.
Uriha Ridge, 35, was arrested Friday after her youngest child died in the hospital, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. She and her two children were found in the woods at Foxhall Resort, where they were staying, after spending more than 11 hours outdoors with temperatures as low as 25 degrees. Investigators said they believe Ridge took drugs before and during their time in the woods.
Ridge called for help just before noon Jan. 16, the sheriff’s office said . The resort staff immediately called 911 and deputies responded to the property, where Ridge and her children were found in the woods. Investigators learned they had entered the woods around midnight and all deputies noted that all three were soaking wet.
Deputies immediately rendered first aid and Ridge and her children were taken to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. The 3-year-old died from what investigators believe were the effects of exposure. Officials did not provide an update on the medical conditions of the 7-year-old or Ridge. Online records show that the woman was booked into the Douglas jail on Friday, three days after being rescued.