SCHENECTADY, NY – A tragic sequence of events unfolded in upstate New York where a baby girl was found at the brink of death in a chilly utility tunnel. This incident took place hours after the baby’s mother had declared online that she was “drunk asf.”
Persia Nelson, a 24-year-old woman, is now entangled in murder charges over the heartbreaking fate of 11-month-old Halo Branton. Reports emerged that Halo was found in a hazardous condition, soaked and extremely cold, in a utility tunnel at Schenectady’s General Electric plant. Her mother had alarmingly stated “I’m drunk asf don’t play with me right now lmfaooo” on Facebook just hours prior to the devastating discovery in an 8-foot deep tunnel.
The unsettling chain of events initiated on Saturday night when General Electric staff encountered an unauthorized woman on the site. The woman, later identified as Nelson, reportedly expressed her unawareness of how she ended up there and mentioned she had lost her child. Following this revelation, a desperate 12-hour search involving multiple agencies, drones, and police dogs took place, eventually leading to the finding of baby Halo.
Unfortunately, their rescue attempt came too late. The baby suffered from exposure and hypothermia and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The winter storm plaguing the area at the time, coupled with Nelson’s alleged “depraved indifference,” provided grounds for the murder charge, as per authorities’ statements to Albany news outlets.
Currently held on a $500,000 cash bond, Nelson has been charged with murder and manslaughter.
Local authorities clarified,”The mother was in a heated building. This utility enclosure with the 8-foot drop was where the baby was dropped or placed or hidden,” as stated by Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney during a press brief on Monday.
Touching upon the timeline of the portrayed incident, it was noted that the Amber Alert pertaining to a missing baby in Schenectady had been raised on Sunday Morning, approximately two hours before Halo was discovered.
Following her tragic finding, the alert was dismissed within six minutes.
Reportedly residing in the Capital Region since November, Nelson first dwelled in an Albany County shelter before relocating to Electric City with her boyfriend. According to the authorities, Nelson and her baby had attended a gathering near the GE plant just before somehow gaining access to the industrial property with Halo.
A relative of Halo’s father expressed her family’s ongoing battle to obtain custody of the baby and shared her anguish over the current situation.