Background: The Fayette County Jail in Uniontown, Pa. (Fayette County Government). Inset: Lisa Miller (Pennsylvania State Police).
Authorities in Pennsylvania say an 8-year-old girl drank bleach at a campground, and instead of being rushed to the hospital, her mother tied her up with a dog leash and drove home while the child was seizing.
Lisa Miller, 60, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. She's being held in the Fayette County Jail in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, without bail.
On Monday at about 4 p.m., troopers with the West Virginia State Police were investigating "an incident involving a child" at a campground in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Dispatchers in West Virginia contacted troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police to help with a welfare check, believing the child was traveling into Pennsylvania, per a press release from the Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers began searching along Route 51 and found the vehicle they were told to look out for in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, which is about 40 miles north of Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.
Troopers said they pulled the vehicle over and found "an unresponsive 8-year-old female in the rear seat." She was immediately taken to an area hospital "due to the severity of her condition."
The child was later flown to another hospital, where authorities said on Tuesday she remained in critical condition and on life support.
The driver of the vehicle, Miller, was taken into custody. She's the girl's mother, Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI reported.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the local outlet, investigators learned from another child in the car that the girl had drunk bleach at the campground and started throwing up blood. However, instead of calling for help or rushing to the hospital, Miller allegedly tied her up with a dog leash, bound her with seat belts, and headed home to "lock her up."
Miller reportedly passed two hospitals on her route home before police pulled her over. When they did, the child was actively seizing and covered in bruises, authorities said.
Additional charges against the defendant "are anticipated," Pennsylvania State Police noted. Miller appeared in court for a preliminary arraignment on Tuesday and is expected back for a preliminary hearing on July 28.