Ohio Mom Who Reported Son, 6, Missing Is Now Accused of Murdering Him, Throwing Body in River

Middletown Division of Police James Robert Hutchinson

An Ohio mother is facing a murder charge after allegedly killing her 6-year-old son and throwing his body into the Ohio River.

On Sunday, Brittany Gosney, 29, of Middletown, reported her son James Robert Hutchinson missing, the Middletown Division of Police says in a statement.

In an alert issued on Sunday, Middletown police said in a Twitter post, "We have a missing 6-year-old named James. He is was last seen in the area of Crawford St. He is a white male, 3' tall, 42 lbs. He has dark blond/reddish hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a red shirt with blue and red Batman pajama pants. If you see him, call 911."

Police, volunteers and organized search teams immediately began looking for the boy.

Three hours later, Middletown police updated the post saying, "We are no longer looking in the Crawford Street area. New information has led us outside the city limits. Thank you for your assistance."

Police stopped looking in the Crawford Street area because upon further questioning, Gosney and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, 42, told investigators that the boy was killed in Preble County a few days before he was reported missing, Middletown Police say in the statement.

Middletown Division of Police Brittany Gosney

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"The child's body was brought back to Middletown, where they live, and later put into the Ohio River," the statement says.

Court documents obtained by WLWT say Gosney admitted to bringing her 6-year-old son to Rush Run Park in Preble County.

Middletown Division of Police James Hamilton

She allegedly told investigators she was going to leave him at the park.

When he tried to get back into the car, she allegedly drove off, "dragging him for a distance at a high rate of speed," the documents state, according to the outlet.

When she returned 30 to 40 minutes later, she found him in the middle of the road with a head injury, the documents state.

When she found the boy lying in the road, she told authorities she thought he was dead, according to the documents.

Gosney allegedly said she put her son in her car and drove him to a home on Crawford Lane where she placed him in the upstairs bedroom, the documents state, WLWT reports.

The next day, she told police she drove to the Ohio River and dumped his body in the water, the documents state.

Gosney was arrested Sunday and is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Hamilton was also arrested Sunday and charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

They have not yet entered pleas.

They are being held in the Middletown jail. They are scheduled to appear in court on Monday for their arraignments.

It is unclear whether they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.

Two other children in the household have been removed from the residence, the statement says.

In the meantime, Middletown police will be working with trained searchers to try to recover James's body.

"The river is very high and treacherous, so we will not be disclosing the exact location in hopes of avoiding another tragic incident," the statement says.