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Ohio mother indicted on murder charge after 5-year-old son found buried in backyard

Posted at 2:35 PM, Dec 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-28 17:14:58-05

By Drew Scofield

CLEVELAND — (WEWS) — The mother of a 5-year-old boy who was found buried in his backyard on Cleveland’s west side earlier this month has been indicted in connection with his death.

The mother, 34-year-old Larissa Rodriguez, has been charged with murder, felonious assault, endangering children and offenses against a human corpse.

Her son’s body was found by authorities after police received a 911 call from a tipster who claimed to be the brother of the mother’s boyfriend.

In the call, the man, who said he is in the Air Force and was overseas in Pakistan, told dispatchers that his brother confessed to burying the child in the backyard of his home with his girlfriend.

“It’s kind of messed up, the whole situation, but my brother told me something and I just can’t sleep at night,” The man said in the call,according to WEWS. “I feel like I need to tell you something.”

An affidavit filed earlier this month said the home where the child lived had “deplorable and unsanitary” conditions and was filled with rats and cockroaches. One of the children was observed eating a sandwich with cockroaches in it, court documents state. Five children were removed from the home when the mother was placed in custody.

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