Beiruting News

Police in Philadelphia say that a woman there left her 21-year-old quadriplegic son alone in the woods - with just a blanket and a Bible - for at least a week while she traveled out of the state to see her boyfriend.

Nyia Parker, 41, was taken into custody Sunday morning in Maryland, where the boyfriend lives. She faces numerous charges, including aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.   

WPVI-TV in Philadelphia reports that a man walking on a trail in the Cobbs Creek section of the city found the disabled young man, who has cerebral palsy, is confined to a wheelchair and cannot speak.

Police told the news station that Parker allegedly laid her son down on the ground and left him there with just the blanket and a Bible. Officials at his school for those with special needs became concerned when they could not reach his mother, calling his aunt.

When her family and authorities contacted Parker in Maryland, she lied and told them her son was with her, WPVI-TV reports. The boyfriend reportedly had no idea Parker had abandoned her son.

Police officials said the young man is lucky to have survived the ordeal.