Charlotte, NC — Jiterria Lightner, a mother whose 3-year old son, Jaiden, died after falling from an escalator, is facing charges of child abuse and neglect two months after the incident. She is expected to turn herself in to authorities this week.On September 28, Lightner was traveling alone with her 3 kids when Cowart fell from the top of an escalator at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The boy was hospitalized for three days before he died from blunt force injuries and fall from height.
“She’s a single mother that was watching three children at an airport and I think the circumstances could have happened to a number of us,” her attorney Michael Greene said. “I don’t think they rise to the level of a crime.”
Police initially determined the fall was an accident, but it is now being investigated as a homicide. Greene said the police’s decision was surprising.
“To this day, she still can’t recount the story without breaking down,” Greene said. “This wasn’t an instance where she was not paying attention to her children.”
Lightner could face up to 150 days in jail if she gets convicted of the three misdemeanor charges.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was created to raise funds for Cowart’s funeral and burial expenses. It has so far raised over $6,000.