Boy dies in mother's car

[saraphen]

UPDATE:

Counties were told of possible abuse before boy's death

ASHEVILLE -- Social services agencies in two mountain counties had warnings that an 8-year-old boy might have been in danger 10 months before he died from heat exposure in his mother's car.
The agencies in Buncombe and Madison counties each say Devin Gibson was in the other county when a complaint alleging that he was being kept in a harmful environment was filed July 9, 2004.

The boy died sometime during the weekend of May 21 and 22, 2005. His mother, Michelle Joyce Gibson, was charged with second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and two counts of felony child abuse.

Mandy Stone, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, said the accusations involved a lack of food. Social workers did an assessment of the home the same day the complaint was made and found no problems, she said.

~~~~

Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe has said the woman apparently kept the child in the car because of "a baby-sitting issue." He said there is evidence the child was locked in the trunk because a co-worker rode with Gibson to the nursing home but didn't see the boy.

The woman's attorney has said the boy was in the car's passenger area, was never trapped and could have gotten out.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/sto...-9016110c.html

[JamieC]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to have children.

[MilitantWombMan]

The hell wrong with that b eye itch ...she need to be locked in a trunk..stupid broad...

[RealTalk3000]

but i dont understand is why would the mother do that to her own child? theres no way I would leave my kid in the trunk of a car or inside of a car while im working,,,she has family right? she could atleast worked something out with somebody in her family, theres more than one way to skin a cat

[Beauti]

Why didn't she just let him sit in the car with the windows down....Probably because he shouldn't have been there in the first place but dayum in the trunk! How stupid can she be. I hope she realizes how stupid this was. What did she think he was going to do in the car for a whole 8hr or more shift? Some people are so stupid. I hope her family members that didn't want to pitch in and babysit(some families don't like to help each other) are also feeling this loss.

[bibadiva73]

That's just crazy!! I'd love to know what she was thinking. I mean, I know that it can be a hassle getting a child in and out of a car and my son seems to love sleeping in the car when I have to go somewhere quickly. Sometimes I have to just leave whatever I have to do for another day, or take him with me, half asleep and grumpy. Being a parent is a sacrifice and you do what you have to, but in this case, that was an unbelieveably bad choice. That poor child...

[Lee-Lee34]

That Is Sad About The Little But Did The Mother Go To Prison?

[saraphen]

She was acquitted. Here's an update:

published June 11, 2006 4:21 pm


ASHEVILLE - A service at an Asheville church tonight aims to raise money for Michelle Gibson and raise awareness about the working poor.

Gibson was acquitted last month of murder in the death of her son, Devin, 8. He died of heat exhaustion in her car while she worked two weekend double shifts at a Jackson County nursing home. She said she kept him in the car because she couldn’t find childcare.

The service will be at 7 p.m. at the Nazareth First Baptist Church, 146 Pine Street, in Asheville. It will feature singing and an offering for Michelle Gibson’s basic needs and messages from several speakers, including Gibson.

It will be Gibson’s first public appearance since she walked out of jail May 22.

http://citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.d...D=200660611002

[robbboy2003]

It is tragic to have noone to turn to. Now she has to get on trying to live,which probably will be difficult for many reasons.

I don't care what the circumstances. There's never an excuse for putting your child in that kind of danger even if you have to tell your employers to kiss your azs. I'm surprised she wasn't given any time. I imagine her punishment is going to be going through life knowing her actions led to her son's death. I guess I do feel a little sorry for her. That's going to be a hard burden to carry.