Mother accused of abandoning autistic son in Colerain Township facing charges, police say

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A mother is now facing charges after she abandoned her non-verbal autistic son in Colerain Township just days before his sixth birthday, according to police.

The 6-year-old boy with autism was found in the area of Sheed Road and Gaines Road around 9 p.m. Thursday.

He was left there by his mother, 32-year-old Heather Nicole Adkins, Colerain police said in an update on Saturday.

The 6-year-old is from Shelbyville, Indiana, which police said is around 75 miles from where he was found.

Colerain police said detectives have signed warrants for Adkins and charges have been filed. Police did not disclose the specific charges.

Update February 20, 2022- Heather Nicole Adkins is in custody in Georgetown, Kentucky. She is being held on a local...
Posted by Colerain Police on Saturday, February 19, 2022

County dispatchers say a motorist is the one who initially reported seeing the boy walking alone, soaking wet, on Gaines Road late Thursday.

The 911 caller, Josh Wanderski, told the Hamilton County dispatcher the boy was “out there by himself waving down cars.”

“He didn’t really understand what was going on,” Wanderski explained to FOX19 NOW on Friday. “He was really close to the road. I just hope he is safe.”

Michael Heithaus lives just minutes away from the road the little boy was found. He says, at first, he thought the child might have wandered away from home, but as the day went on, he grew more concerned about what happened.

“It kind of became more concerning that no one has come forward to claim this child,” Heithaus said. “I mean, this is a small child.”

For more than 50 years, Kathy Hebert has lived in Colerain Township. She says Adkins might have picked this area to abandon her son because she is familiar with it.

“To me, she had to know the area,” Hebert said. “It just doesn’t make sense. There’s no sidewalks; it’s a through to go up to Springdale, but it’s not a through off of the interstate.”

The 6-year-old is now in the custody of Jobs and Family Services.

Anyone with information is still asked to call the Colerain Police Department at 513-321-2677.

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