Mom Found Holding Lifeless Child In Bel Air Street Charged With Murder: Police

BEL AIR, MD — A 37-year-old North Carolina woman has been arrested after police say she was seen standing in a Bel Air street holding a lifeless child.

On Sunday around 5:25 a.m., an off-duty Harford County sheriff's deputy was driving past 404 North Main Street in Bel Air when he saw Gloria Elena Hughes in the road holding 3-year-old Jason Garcia. The deputy called for assistance and Bel Air police officers arrived within minutes, according to the police department.

Emergency responders began life-saving measures on the child, who also was from from Morganton, North Carolina. The child was taken to the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center by Harford County EMS and pronounced deceased at approximately 6 a.m., police reported.

Based on "significant evidence," including video evidence, the child’s mother, Hughes, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. There are no additional suspect(s) in this investigation nor is there a threat to the community. The investigation remains active and a motive has yet to be determined, police said.