A mother who went missing from a residence in Washington in June along with her 1-month-old son, who later died after being found submerged in water, has been charged in the infant’s death, court documents said.
Sadie Fleming, 27, was arrested Wednesday on charges of murder with special circumstances for a child under 16 years old and risk of injury to a child, according to Connecticut State Police. The charges stem from the death of her 1-month-old son, Hudson Fleming.
A Silver Alert was issued on June 8 and shared with media outlets after troopers responded to Brinsmade Road around 10 a.m. on a missing person report. Police learned that Fleming had left her residence on foot along with the newborn sometime between midnight and 7 a.m.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the person who called police, who lived with Fleming and her son, told investigators she woke up around 9 a.m. and could not find them in the apartment and noticed that the front door was open. The woman claimed that Fleming was on medication and had been hearing voices that led her to believe someone was trying to harm her, the warrant affidavit said.
The vehicle Fleming had access to was still in the parking lot of the apartment complex, so authorities began searching the area believing she took off on foot.
Around 6:48 p.m., state police received a 911 call from someone who said they saw a woman matching Fleming’s description walking near Brinsmade Road, the warrant affidavit said. She was found walking on Blackville Road with clothes that were soaked, state police wrote.
The warrant affidavit said troopers noted that Fleming’s mental state appeared to be altered, as she was asked multiple times about the infant and responded, “What baby?” According to police, she did not know her own name or where she was.
“Sadie initially appeared to be extremely paranoid and panicked,” state police wrote.
Fleming became unresponsive before emergency crews initiated CPR, the warrant affidavit said. She was then taken to a hospital.
After about an hour of searching, authorities found Hudson in Mallory Brook, the warrant affidavit said. He did not have a pulse and was unresponsive. Police said he was cold to the touch.
Hudson was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 7:32 p.m., according to the warrant affidavit. A doctor found minor injuries to the top of his head and a scratch to his right shoulder and arm area.
An autopsy later concluded that Hudson drowned, state police wrote. His death was ruled a homicide.
Nearby where Hudson was found, police discovered an infant carrier and a vape pen believed to belong to Fleming, the warrant affidavit said.
When police spoke to Fleming in the hospital, she claimed that she woke up in the early morning hours and “thought people were chasing after her and were trying to kill her,” according to the warrant affidavit. Days earlier, she began experiencing thoughts indicating “Illuminati people” were trying to “get” her, according to the warrant affidavit.
Fleming said she tried using a vehicle, but when she was unable to get it started she began running, the warrant affidavit said. She was not able to remember much else, police allege, and never mentioned Hudson during the interview.
State police wrote in the warrant affidavit that they found Fleming first experienced a psychological issue in 2019 when she allegedly caused a disturbance at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. She was reportedly hearing voices and damaging property.
Investigators found that she had another “significant psychological episode” while driving on Wykeham Road in Washington in 2023, which led to a response from state troopers, according to the warrant affidavit. She was committed to a hospital for psychological treatment.
State police investigators were able to obtain a search warrant allowing them to examine Fleming’s medical records, which revealed that she had “frequently expressed concerns” with an investigation being conducted by the state Department of Children and Families, the warrant affidavit said. State police wrote that “she appeared to be fearful that the baby would be taken from her by the DCF.”.
The records reportedly showed that Fleming requested an unplanned telehealth appointment on June 2 because she was “having some paranoia again, feeling manic” and irritable,” the warrant affidavit said. She allegedly requested to be prescribed an unnamed medication, but was advised by a doctor that it was not safe while she was breastfeeding, the warrant affidavit said.
In July, an attorney representing Fleming told police she was not interested in speaking with investigators.
Following her arrest, Fleming was held in lieu of a $5 million bond and was expected to appear lin Superior Court in Torrington on Wednesday.
A DCF spokesperson did not immediately issue comment.
