South Florida mother Patricia Ripley has been charged with the murder of her 9-year-old autistic son after she faked his kidnapping.
What We Know:
- Last Thursday, Patricia Ripley, 45, initially told law enforcement a bogus story about how a man caused her to crash after side-swiping her car. She claimed the man pulled a knife and demanded drugs. According to her, after she told him she didn’t have any drugs, the man abducted her son. Law enforcement then issued an Amber Alert for the boy.
- Unfortunately, police found Alejandro’s body floating in a canal Friday morning.
- When they brought Ripley in for questioning, she gave conflicting statements.
- Now, a heartbreaking video has surfaced of Ripley’s first attempt at killing her son. The video shows Ripley walking with her 9-year-old son Alejandro on the bank of a canal in West Kendall. She stroked his hair and looked around and then in a single move she shoves him into the water. Ripley then returns with a bystander and another man. You can see them pull Alejandro from the water.
- Alejandro was autistic and could not speak so he could not explain to the bystanders what had just happened to him.
- About an hour later, authorities said she led him to another body of water at the Miccosukee Golf and Country Club. Sadly, his lifeless body would be found the following day.
- According to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Ripley told investigators “He’s going to a better place”.
Ripley admitted to thinking about killing her son for some time because as he got older, the more difficult he became to control physically. Ripley has been charged with first degree murder which means she will face the death penalty.
