Mississippi Mom, Boyfriend Charged With Murder After 3-Year-Old Boy Found Dead In Pond, Police Say

A Mississippi mother and her boyfriend are charged with murdering her three-year-old son, after the boy's body was discovered in a pond.

Warren County Sheriff's deputies found Kaden Mallett the morning of April 21 after a massive search near Vicksburg, which included the use of drones.

After Brooke Mallett, 25, and John Walker, 22, were arrested, both were denied bond at a court hearing on first-degree murder and child neglect charges.

Sheriff Martin Pace noted to the Vicksburg Post that they might not have harmed the boy, but simply were careless in watching over him.

According to WLBT-TV, authorities might not have known about the 3-year-old, except for an older child who wandered to a neighbor's home.

Pace said the 5-year-old boy has special needs and cannot communicate. Officers determined Brooke Mallett was his mother after about an hour.

Kaden Mallett was found several hundred yards from where his mother lives.

The 5-year-old boy is now in state custody.