A 42-year-old Pennsylvania woman named Valerie McDermott was arrested on Monday, February 17, after she allegedly threatened to kill her disabled son on social media. The 8-year-old non-verbal child was overturned to his grandmother after being found with dirty clothes and in "deplorable conditions."
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According to the
City of Aliquippa Police Department, they received multiple calls reporting that a woman had been threatening to kill her 8-year-old disabled child on Facebook Live. The callers identified the woman as 42-year-old Valerie McDermott of McMinn Street.Upon review, police found that McDermott had made "multiple very specific threats in reference to harming/killing her child." This led them to McDermott's residence assisted by the Hopewell Township Police Department. McDermott, however, refused to open her door. Despite being "advised multiple times" that she was arrested for the threats she made on Facebook Live, she continued to refuse to open her door.
Eventually, police officers forced entry into the house and arrested McDermott without incident. They found the 8-year-old non-verbal child, according to CBS News, with dirty clothes and a full diaper. Police stated that the child "was also residing in deplorable conditions within the residence." In consequence, the boy was overturned to his grandmother.
Users online shared her mugshot on social media and reacted negatively, Valeria McDermott is seen smiling in the photo.
Mental Health
Reportedly, this is not the first time that McDermott has been reported to the police. Alyssa McHenry, an acquaintance of McDermott, called the police after she found that McDermott left her disabled son inside her car. McDermott went shopping on her own without her son at a local store.
"She needs mental help. She [doesn't] necessarily need to be sitting in jail because that's not going to help her," McHenry said, according to CBS News. McHenry would then say that "she needs to go to a mental hospital and get help.... That kid deserves better than her," she added.
Police charged Valerie McDermott with endangering the welfare of a child, terrorist threats, and obstruction of justice. He was transported to Beaver County Jail and her preliminary hearing will take place on Friday, February 28. Police also notified Children and Youth Services (CYS).
