2-year-old boy found dead in steam plant, mother pleads guilty to second-degree murder
12/14/2021 2:37 pm PST
HAMPTON, Va. (TCD) -- The mother of a 2-year-old boy who was found dead in a steam plant in 2019 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday.
According to the Hampton Police Department, Julia Tomlin’s toddler, Noah, was reported missing on June 24, 2019. Tomlin was initially arrested on June 28, 2019, and charged with three counts of felony child neglect, police said in a news release.
Police said Noah’s remains were found on July 3, 2019, in a steam plant. According to WTKR-TV, Noah suffered two fractures to his skull, blunt-force trauma and battered child syndrome. In a press conference, Hampton Commonwealth Attorney Anton Bell said Noah suffered injuries like someone falling "several stories from a building."
On Tuesday, Tomlin reportedly pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, felony child neglect, and concealing a dead body. Bell said he is seeking the maximum sentence of 55 years for the charges against Tomlin.
Tomlin’s sister-in-law Theresa told WTKR on Tuesday that she believes Tomlin is not guilty because Noah suffered special autism and she had seen him "bashing his head into the crib."
Theresa told WTKR that she believes her sister-in-law passed out from heroin and that Noah fell from the crib.
Tomlin’s sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2022.
MORE:
