PHILADELPHIA — A woman accused of dumping her quadriplegic son in the woods at a park so she could spend the week with her out-of-state boyfriend is now facing an attempted murder charge, police said Tuesday.
Nyia Parler, 41, has been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons in Maryland since hours after her 21-year-old son was found last Friday in a pile of wet leaves in Cobb Creek Park in Philadelphia next to his wheelchair and a Bible. Police believe Parler’s son had been in the woods all week.
Police said they have added attempted murder to an initial slate of charges listed in an arrest warrant Saturday. Those include aggravated assault, kidnapping, and neglect of a care-dependent person.
The son, who has cerebral palsy, was found around the corner from his home by a person who saw the wheelchair and went to investigate.
The son was in stable condition Monday at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after being treated for dehydration, malnutrition, and abrasions, Philadelphia police Lieutenant John Walker said.