A woman from South Jersey began the year of 2023 with being sent to prison but for such a heinous crime, we’re still reeling about it.
Nakira Griner, 28, reported her nearly 2-year-old son missing back in 2019. Griner claimed she was attacked while walking to a store in Bridgeton, Nj. and that little Daniel had been abducted from his stroller. The Bridgeton police embarked on a rigorous search, receiving help from State Police bloodhounds and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to NJ.com. The police dogs eventually tracked down the scent of the baby boy. The horrible twist? The dogs led police in Griner’s own backyard.
Shortly after the discovery, Griner was charged in connection to her son’s death.
The report says Daniel’s autopsy revealed he died of blunt force trauma and his skull had been broken into 74 pieces. Also, when his body was found, his remains were dismembered and burnt to a crisp.
Where was his father? Completely out of of the loop.
Read more from NJ.com:
Daniel Griner Sr. works as a registered nurse at a hospital and told police he returned home at 7:30 p.m. the day before his wife reported the disappearance.
The next day, the day his son was reported missing, he spoke with his wife via FaceTime during his lunch break and she told him the kids were napping, the prosecutor said.
In phone calls Griner made from jail, she allegedly claimed Daniel fell down steps and that she “did what she did to him” to cover up bruising on his body, [Senior Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth] Vogelsong-Parvin said.
Originally, Griner told the police the child fell down the stairs, according to the criminal complaint obtained by CBS. She rejected then a plea deal insisting to take things to trial under the claim she only injured her son but left him alone in a stroller hoping someone would pick him up.
It wouldn’t be until the two-week trial that Griner would admit to what she’d done.
Griner confessed to hitting Daniel so hard that his face was left riddled with bruises. She then confessed to not calling the police for help but instead placing his body in the oven and dismembering it before placing the remains in her backyard.
In February of this year, Griner was found guilty on charges of first-degree murder, desecration of human remains, child endangerment, evidence tampering and false public alarm.
She will spend the rest of her life in prison.