Mom Nyia Parker Dumps Disabled Son In Woods With Bible While She Visits Boyfriend, Police Say

Nyia Parker is 41-year-old Philadelphia mom who is under arrest Sunday morning, after what police are calling one of the worst cases of child neglect they’ve ever seen. Police say a hiker came across Parker’s 21-year-old son who is quadriplegic, unable to communicate verbally, and suffering from cerebral palsy, lying in the ground in a wooded area about 100 yards from the nearest road.

The mom abandoned her helpless son there with nothing but a blanket and a Bible to protect him. Parker then hopped on a bus and rode to Maryland where she stayed with her boyfriend — even lying to officials at her son’s school when they reached her by phone, concerned at the severely disabled young man’s absence, police now say.

Parker’s son, according to the account, had been lying on the ground since Monday, through rain and plunging temperatures, when a man passing by on a trail through the woods spotted him on Friday evening.

Amazingly, the young man — whose name has not been released — survived and is now being treated at Children’s Hospital in Philly, where other family members are with him and supporting him.

“This kid is obviously a fighter. It’s just unbelievable how we found him last night,” said Philly police spokesperson John Walker. “It’s just heartbreaking to see how another human, especially a mother, could treat him like that.”

Parker left her son with no food and no water. The Bible was still lying on his chest when he was discovered.

“Sometimes around 11:00 a.m., the mother went to visit her boyfriend down in Maryland. We believe she placed the child into the Cobbs Creek park right there in the 1100 block of 59th Street right by the parkway,” Walker recounted.

“He has a cut to his back that they are concerned about because of infection. He’s also suffering from dehydration, and some malnutrition issues that they are working on. Also from the weather conditions, his eyes are having some issues and they’re having a doctor come in and look at those.”

When the young man did not show up for school — he is a special needs student at High School of the Future in Philadelphia — teachers and administrators became concerned. They were able to reach Nyia Parker by phone after getting her number from the young man’s aunt

But the mom flatly lied to them, telling the worried educators that her son was with her in Maryland.

Nyia Parker also has a 16-year-old daughter, who is now with other family members. The mom will face a variety of charges, including aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

[Image: WPVI-TV Screen Grab]