August 8: Report: Jacksonville woman admits to killing 11-year-old daughter
A Jacksonville woman was arrested after her 11-year-old daughter's body was found near the scene of a traffic crash in West Virginia, police said.
The girl's dead body was inside a car when her mother, Erica Newsome of Jacksonville, lost control of the vehicle and crashed near the West Virginia and Virginia border Sunday morning, police said.
Troopers found Newsome over a nearby embankment approximately 150 feet away from the car in Thornwood. They also found her 11-year-old daughter's body, police said.
JSO: Body believed to be missing Jacksonville woman found; coworker arrested
According to state police, a couple from New York City saw Newsome take the child's body out of the car and over the embankment. The couple waited for troopers to arrive and shared the information.
Since the crash, investigators have determined the child was killed in Jacksonville and loaded into the car.
“The child was placed in the vehicle early Saturday morning and she headed toward Buffalo, New York,” Barlow said.
The child's father lives in Buffalo. Newsome told state police that was where she was headed.
Police said Jacksonville authorities went to Newsome’s residence and found evidence of the crime there.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office detectives were headed to West Virginia on Monday, police said.
“If it hadn’t been for an older couple from New York City who observed the child being removed from the vehicle, we probably would have just thought it was a minor motor vehicle accident with a driver and nobody else,” State Police Sgt. Fred Barlow said.
JSO: Body believed to be missing Jacksonville woman found; coworker arrested
There is no confirmation on a cause of death, but foul play is suspected and more arrests could be forthcoming in Florida, police said.
“She knew she had vehicle issues and didn’t want to be driving at interstate speeds,” Barlow said. “She decided to stay off major highways and that’s how she wound up in Thornwood.”
Newsome was arrested and charged with concealment of a dead human being.
Action News Jax contacted JSO for more information about the case.
We are working to learn more about the arrest. Watch FOX30 at 10 p.m. for the latest information.
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