HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Huntersville police said they have charged a woman with murder months after her 4-year-old son’s death.
On Monday, police announced the arrest of 36-year-old Lashonda Yvette Hudson. She is charged with murder and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.
In October 2018, police said DeAndre McCullough died after he was taken to a hospital.
Hudson's arrest warrant said DeAndre suffered from severe blunt force trauma of the abdomen.
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Marvin Hamilton, the girl’s stepfather, said DeAndre was still alive when they got to the hospital and police have it wrong.
“That girl loves her baby,” Hamilton said. “She did not kill her baby. You got an innocent person locked up here for no reason at all, which that is wrong. She should be free now.”
Authorities said the child lived with his mother, his 10-year-old brother and his mother's boyfriend at an apartment complex.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that this death may be the result of a homicide,” Huntersville Police Chief Cleveland Spruill said during the initial investigation.
Neighbors told Channel 9 there were no signs of trouble.
“He was running around playing, smiling, riding bicycles, everything,” neighbor Whitney Grogan said.
Mary Cherry said she loved DeAndre like one of her own children.
“He went to the daycare with my children for the last three and a half years and it just infuriates me that the community has not been aware of this,” Cherry said. “We are all just devastated at this loss. It's at a point where we can't even process what has occurred.”
Police have not released any other details about the boy's death.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Huntersville Police Department at 704-464-5346.