Ga. 3-year-old dies after being found with mom, 7-year-old in freezing cold; mom charged with murder

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A mother has been arrested on murder charges after she was found walking in the woods in freezing cold temperatures in Douglas County with her two children, one of whom later died.

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The Sheriff’s office said they responded to reports of a woman and her two kids lost in the woods in the area of Fox Hall Resort around 12 p.m. on Jan. 16.

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Employees found the woman, identified as Uriha Ridge, and her children in a wooded area not far from the resort hotel where they were staying. Deputies realized the the children were soaking wet and the temperatures had been below freezing for more than 11 hours.

Ridge and the children were taken to the hospital, where her 3-year-old child died due to what is believed to be exposure. Her 7-year-old child remains hospitalized.

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Ridge was arrested on two counts of cruelty to children in the 1st degree, two counts of cruelty to children in the 2nd degree and felony murder.

Officers did not say what drugs Ridge consumed or if the family is from Georgia. The 7-year-old’s condition has not been released, nor has the identity of the child who died.

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