UPDATE: More Details in Toddler Death

Updated Wed., April 11, 7 p.m.: More details emerged Wednesday afternoon in the death of a Pelion toddler whom Lexington County Sheriff's Department investigators allege died at the hands of the live-in girlfriend of the two-year-old boy's father (see earlier update below).

In an afternoon press conference, Sheriff James Metts said that 17-year-old Desiree Nicole Almgren admitted to the "catastrophic event" that led to the death of Paul Edward Thomas, whose third birthday would have been this Friday.

Autopsy results indicate that the child died from "blunt force trauma" to his head.

Metts, however, declined to elaborate on the exact manner of the boy's death or the circumstances that led to it.

Almgren, an Orlando, Fla. native who attended White Knoll High School, is being held on a charge of homicide by child abuse or neglect in the Lexington County Detention Center. Under state law, she will be tried as an adult.

In a bond hearing Wednesday afternoon, Almgren -- appearing behind a cage door in the county magistrate's court -- declined to make any statement on her behalf.

Mum, too, was biological father Scott E. Thomas, 30, of Pelion, who sat stoically with family members in the back of the court room and declined to make a statement or speak to the media. Judge Brian Jeffcoat ordered Almgren to be held in jail until a circuit court rules on her bond sometime between now and June 28.

Appearing meek in court, Almgren was anything but on Monday, Metts said. Pending a Tuesday autopsy that indicated homicide, Almgren had managed to post $25,000 bond and leave jail on Monday after initially being charged for unlawful conduct towards a child.

In a posting on her Facebook page, supplied to Patch by the sheriff's department, Almgren wrote: "25,000 dollar bond. glad im out. hit me up on the cell."

"She sounded cocky," Metts said, adding that the seriousness of what has happened only now seems to have sunk in with the teenager. "She seemed to be happy to be charged with what she was [originally charged with]…. She was kind of bragging that she had only been charged with child neglect."

Metts declined to speculate much on Almgren's state of mind before or after the toddler's death, or what precipitated the incident that led to it. "We do not want to try this case in the media," he said. But a smattering of Facebook postings on Easter Sunday, when the child's death occurred, read: 

"I can't stop crying im so mad X("

Happy Easter. wish i had a ride to get out the house:( hope everybody has a good day."

"so bored at home:( its never good when im bored."

Almgren's own toddler son, who was with his mother and Thomas at the time of the incident, has been placed in the custody of that child's father. Metts said that after the incident occurred that caused Thomas's death, Almgren fled with her biological son to her family's house, where she was eventually found, questioned, and arrested. 

"She apparently got afraid and just left," Metts said.

Metts added that the elapsed time between the boys death and the discovery by his father, who had been at work, might have been anywhere from three to five hours. Metts speculated that quick action on the behalf of Almgren to seek medical help might have potentially saved the child.

Meanwhile, said Metts, Thomas's biological mother, Odyssie Herman, has been contacted, but noted that she has had little to do with her son since his birth, and does not reside locally.

"Thank the Lord, we don't have many cases like this very often," Metts said. "As far as I'm concerned I hope we don't have another one. 

"You're dealing with children who are very, very young. And you know," Metts added, "from the facts that we have, and the investigation, the child died simply because of a lack of attention, on top of frustration. We don't like to see those deaths -- those are senseless deaths."

Thomas's funeral service, open to relatives and friends, will take place on Saturday, April 14 at 3 P.M. at Woodridge Funeral Home, 138 Corley Mill Road in Lexington. Visitation will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the funeral home. 

In addition to his father and mother, the child is survived by his two brothers Logan Montville and James Jamison; grandparents Roland and Cathy Thomas and Paul and Sonya Mull; aunt Sabrina Thomas; godparents Chris and Rebecca Griesch, and cousins Shawn Beasley and Victoria Mastando.

"Paul always had a smile on his face and that brought great enjoy to everyone he meet," his obituary states. "He loved the movie Cars and anything that had to do with it. Paul was the sweetest child and will be deeply missed by his family and many friends."

Updated Wed., April 11, 10:35 a.m.: is charging a teenager in the death of a two-year-old toddler from Pelion who was found dead Sunday.

Desiree Nicole Almgren, 17, of Pelion, who was originally charged with unlawful conduct towards a child, had her charges upgraded to homicide after an autopsy was performed Tuesday on the child.

Almgren faces a charge of homicide by child abuse or neglect. Authorities have not yet revealed the relationship between the woman and the dead child.

Almgren is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

According to deputies, the father of the two-year-old child, whose name was not released, left for work at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Sunday and left the child in the care of Almgren, with whom he is involved in a relationship, Metts said. The father returned home from work at approximately 5:45 p.m. that evening to discover that Almgren had fled the home.

"The father found his child in bed and believed the child to be asleep. He attempted to wake the toddler, but found the child not breathing or responsive and called 911," Metts said. 

Lexington County Coroner Harry O. Harman said that the two-year-old child was transported by Emergency Medical Service workers to Lexington Medical Center, and was pronounced dead at the hospital at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Investigators arrested Almgren on Sunday on an arrest warrant with a charge of unlawful conduct towards a child. Almgren was released from the Lexington County Detention Center on Monday after she met the conditions of her bond set by a Lexington County Magistrate, Metts said.

According to Harman, the results of the autopsy, performed on Tuesday by a pathologist at Lexington Medical Center, revealed that the child died as a result of an acute subdural intracranial hemorrhage caused by acute head trauma.

As a result of the autopsy, investigators arrested Almgren at approximately 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for alleged homicide. The investigation revealed that Almgren allegedly caused the acute head trauma to the two-year-old child, failed to seek medical attention for the child, and then abandoned the child at the home for several hours, according to Metts.

Metts asked anyone with any additional information about this incident to call the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Stay tuned to Patch for more details.

Original story: The suspicious death of a toddler over the weekend is under investigation by the , Lexington Patch has learned.

A 2-year-old Pelion child died Sunday, a sheriff's spokesperson confirmed to Patch Tuesday afternoon. But details surrounding the death remain scarce.

The child was in the care of a woman at the time of his death, according to department spokesman Erik Murrah. An autopsy taking place today will determine what, if any, charges will be filed in the case.  

"We plan to have a conclusive news release on our findings sometime tomorrow," Murrah told Patch. At this time, the coroner’s office has not released any information on the autopsy, he added.

This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned to Patch for more details.