Halo Branton dies in fatal Schenectady incident
Halo Branton dies in fatal Schenectady incident
Fatal Schenectady incident claims the life of 11-month-old Halo Branton – Obituary
On Monday, a New York mother was arrested and charged with murder following the tragic death of her 11-month-old daughter, Halo Branton, who was found in a “utility tunnel,” according to Schenectady officials at a press briefing.
The mother, 24-year-old Persia Nelson, was charged with second-degree murder, demonstrating depraved indifference, just hours after Halo was reported missing.
During the press conference, Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford explained that on Saturday night, around 11 p.m., security personnel at a General Electric facility received a report about a “female trespasser” who seemed disoriented and unaware of how she had arrived at the site.
The woman was identified as Nelson, who initially informed security that her child was missing. Officers began a search for Halo but were unable to locate her that evening.
By Sunday morning, as concern for Halo’s safety grew, an Amber Alert was issued, amid fears that she might have been abducted. Later that day, authorities discovered Halo unresponsive in a “utility tunnel structure” within the same General Electric facility where Nelson had been found.
According to Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney, Halo had been dropped from a height of approximately eight feet into the tunnel, where standing water reached only as high as her neck. Carney clarified that Halo did not drown, but an autopsy revealed that she succumbed to “exposure and hypothermia.”
Following the discovery, Nelson was found at the General Electric security building and taken into custody.
At Nelson’s arraignment on Monday, prosecutor Matthew Nobles mentioned that she has another child residing in a different county, for whom she does not have custody, as reported by the local Daily Gazette.
Nelson pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to online court records. The Schenectady Public Defender’s Office has not yet responded to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Halo Branton dies in fatal Schenectady incident Fatal Schenectady incident claims the life of 11-month-old Halo Branton – Obituary On Monday, a New York mother was arrested and charged with murder following the tragic death of her 11-month-old daughter, Halo Branton, who was found in a “utility tunnel,” according to Schenectady officials at a press…
Halo Branton dies in fatal Schenectady incident Fatal Schenectady incident claims the life of 11-month-old Halo Branton – Obituary On Monday, a New York mother was arrested and charged with murder following the tragic death of her 11-month-old daughter, Halo Branton, who was found in a “utility tunnel,” according to Schenectady officials at a press…