Mother pushed son on a swing for two days until he died of dehydration and hypothermia

Jul 1, 2015

According to investigators, the death of a 3-year-old toddler who was found lifeless while being pushed in a swing by his mother has been ruled a homicide.

Ji’Aire Lee died from dehydration and hypothermia after his mother placed him in the swing and pushed him for two days. However, the mother, Romechia Simms, has not been charged with murder until an investigation can be completed.

A neighbor who noticed the mother and son at Wills Memorial Park in La Plata, Maryland the night before called the police. The dead child was discovered by Charles County sheriff’s deputies who arrived on the scene.

According to Simms’ mother, Vontasha Simms, she suffers from bipolar disorder and depression and had “some kind of psychotic episode.” She cannot remember what happened in the park when her son died.

The boy’s father, James ‘Donnell’ Lee, 29, held Simms’ hand and sang “This Little Light of Mine” with her at his son’s funeral as mourners gathered to say goodbye. He believed his son’s death could have been avoided.

In March, he filed for sole custody of their son because he was worried about Simms’ mental state and felt that she should get help. However, a judge ruled that Simms was a fit parent, and in May, they agreed to joint custody, in which Simms had their son during the week and Lee got him on the weekends.

But just eleven days after that decision, Ji’Aire was dead.