He had a “passion for life”: Mother accused of poisoning her minor adopted son with disabilities leaving the body on his bed, charged

A 62-year-old woman is accused and now charged with homicide for poisoning her minor adopted child with disabilities leaving the body on his bed for some time until she called the police. The woman has been jailed and held without bond until her first court hearing set to take place later this month.

According to the police, the suspect in the case was identified as M. Diehl and she will most probably spend the rest of her life behind bars if found guilty for the incident that took place in her family home last September.

The authorities responded at Diehl’s home in Pennsylvania on September 6 before noon where they discovered her son’s dead body in his bed. The police identified the boy as the 11-year-old Najir, Diehl’s adopted child, who was not ambulatory on his own due to a disability.

The incident report indicates that Diehl called 911 as soon as she discovered the dead body that day. Najir’s deceased body was taken for examination.

A toxicology test revealed poison in his blood, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania State Police, which was obtained by the Tribune.

Mary allegedly “on or about September 5, 2021, with malice, premeditation and the specific intent to kill, did have the care dependent victim ingest poison for the purposes of causing his death,” according to a criminal complaint, the paper reported.

Following the toxicology report, the mother was once again questioned by police on Monday and they decided to arrest her. She was charged with one count of criminal homicide, jailed and held without bond until her arraignment.

The investigation didn’t reveal what was the motive behind the homicide. The victim has a brother and sister and a “passion for life,” according to his obituary.

“His bus trips to school and his bus drivers made him very happy. He also loved to eat, go swimming, read books, and the dogs and cats at his home,” according to the tribute.

“Nijie was a beautiful boy…all you had to do is look at his eyes…big, brown eyes full of love that you could feel. Mary was the light in his life, and he was the light in hers! Blessings of Love and Light,” a family friend wrote.

She is scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing. It was unclear whether she has an attorney to speak on her behalf.