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A New York mother is being charged with murder after throwing her infant daughter down a utility shaft, prosecutors allege.
Schenectady Police said search crews found the body of 11-month-old Halo Branton at the bottom of an 8-foot utility shaft on GE’s Old River Road campus on Sunday afternoon, March 10.
The discovery came hours after police issued an AMBER alert for the child, who was last seen at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday, March 9, near Campbell Avenue and 12th Street.
In an update on Monday, March 11, Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford said a security guard at the GE campus called 911 at around 11 p.m. Saturday after finding Halo’s 24-year-old mother, Persia Nelson, trespassing on the property.
When officers arrived, Nelson said she didn’t know how she got there and claimed to have lost a child, according to police.
After failing to locate the girl, Schenectady Police called in additional agencies, including New York State Police, who spent hours searching the GE property with K9 units and drones.
Finally, at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, crews found Halo inside a utility shaft. She had been dropped from a height of about 8 feet and was lying in a puddle of water.
Medics brought the child to Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, where she was eventually pronounced dead. An autopsy found that she died from exposure and hypothermia, said Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney.
Nelson was arraigned in Schenectady County Court on one count of second-degree manslaughter. Carney said his office was filing an upgraded charge of second-degree murder showing a depraved indifference to human life.
Following her arraignment, Nelson was taken to the Schenectady County jail on $1 million bond. She is due back in court on Thursday, March 14.
Authorities did not speculate on a possible motive for the alleged killing, saying it remains an active investigation.
Schenectady Police are asking anyone with video footage from near Campbell Avenue and 12th Street, or near the GE Campus, to contact the agency at 518-788-6566.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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