A New York woman, previously incarcerated in October, was freed on Tuesday as the search for her missing 11-year-old son continues.

Jacqueline Pritchett, 50, had been detained at Rikers Island while authorities sought her son, Jacob Pritchett. Jacob, who is nonverbal and has autism, had been unaccounted for since at least April. However, it wasn’t until October that Children’s Services became involved, according to a report by the New York Daily News.

The Administration for Children’s Services initiated a welfare check on September 25 at the Pritchett family’s Brooklyn residence. Caseworkers reportedly found no trace of Jacob and alleged that his mother refused to provide a birth certificate.

On October 1, agency officials returned with NYPD officers but still found no evidence of Jacob’s presence in the home. During this visit, a K-9 cadaver dog reportedly signaled the presence of human blood on a refrigerator inside the apartment, which was without electricity. This led to Jacqueline Pritchett’s arrest.

The New York Daily News reported that Jacqueline Pritchett insisted she was a virgin with no children. She also allegedly claimed to be Jesus and stated that the toys found in the apartment were hers.

According to reports, neighbors said they overheard the mother yelling at her son before his disappearance.

Days after her arrest, police conducted a search at the High Acres Landfill in Perinton. A dumpster behind Jacob Prichett’s Brooklyn apartment is apparently dumped at this landfill, but authorities did not say whether the case had shifted from a missing person investigation to a recovery mission.

Jacqueline Prichett, who reportedly has mental health issues, remained jailed for two months as she refused to reveal her son’s whereabouts. The New York Daily News reported that on eight instances, she has refused to speak to authorities about her missing son — and has even evoked the Fifth.

On Tuesday, Jacqueline Prichett’s lawyers successfully argued that she was being illegally jailed for exercising her Constitutional rights.

Despite her release, she is still ordered to appear in family court next week to undergo more questioning about Jacob Prichett. The city’s Law Department told the New York Daily News that it “is evaluating [its] next steps.”

[Feature Photo: NYPD]