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Emily Rose Weaver's 3-month-old girl died after being left in a vehicle, authorities announced on Thursday, Oct. 5.
The Columbia Borough mom of three and Alvernia University Graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice has been arrested after her infant daughter was found unresponsive in a vehicle in the 4300 block of Fairview Road, West Hempfield Township at approximately 4:36 p.m., according to a release by the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.
"Upon arrival, it was determined that the child was beyond help," as stated in the release.
Witnesses told investigators that the girl was left in the vehicle with the doors & windows closed for an undetermined length of time.
The baby girl was pronounced dead at 7:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.
The girl's death was due to "environmental exposure," as the vehicle's "doors and windows were closed" and it was parked in "direct sunlight with a high temperature of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit," the DA noted.
Weaver’s neighbors had gone to her home "after learning she had not picked up her children from school and becoming concerned for her wellbeing due to knowledge of previous drug addictions," the DA said. She was found "unresponsive in a bedroom on the second floor before finding the child beyond help in a car seat in the defendant’s vehicle outside."
Sometime after her arrest in an interview with the police "Weaver admitted to using methamphetamines," the DA said.
The West Hempfield Township Police Department, The Lancaster County Detective Bureau, and The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office's investigations led to the child's mother being charged with Homicide Murder in the 3rd Degree, Involuntary Manslaughter, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Fairview Road was closed to traffic for approximately 8 hours during the investigation.
"At this time, we are not releasing the child’s name," the DA said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Weaver waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Nov. 1, the DA explained.
She has previously been convicted two of drug-related offenses in the county, court records show.
In this case, she has been denied bail due to the nature of the charges. Emily Weaver remains in the Lancaster County Prison until her formal arraignment at 9 a.m. on Nov. 22, according to her latest court docket.
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