In Montana, a 28-year-old mother is facing accusations of severe neglect leading to the tragic death of her special-needs toddler. Allegedly, she confessed to law enforcement that she felt “overwhelmed” and had ceased providing her 2-year-old with food and water weeks prior. Nichole Lynn Boyer was arrested earlier this month, facing a charge of deliberate homicide concerning her son’s heartbreaking demise, according to court documents.

The toddler was reportedly “significantly disabled,” enduring conditions such as spina bifida, club feet, and hydrocephalus, which results in increased pressure on the brain.

As detailed in a probable cause affidavit acquired by East Idaho News, officers from the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office responded to an October 16 call regarding a deceased child at a residence on Main Street in Lima, Montana, located roughly 350 miles west of Billings. The call was made by Boyer herself, who stated that her son had been “ill for months and was now deceased.”

Upon their arrival, first responders recounted that Boyer expressed a sentiment akin to “just take me to jail.” According to deputies, a strong “odor of decomposing human remains” was immediately apparent upon entering the home, which was littered with “trash, rotten food, and animal waste.”

Emergency medical services directed deputies to an upstairs room where they discovered the child lying amid a pile of laundry, bedsheets, debris, and other items on the floor, adjacent to a mattress.

“The child was covered up with a sweatshirt that Boyer later indicated belonged to her,” the affidavit said. “The child appeared to be in an advanced state of decomposition.”

The bedroom where the boy was located was described as “filthy” and had the air conditioner running even though the temperature outside was about 44 degrees.

When questioned by police, Boyer said she used to check on her son three to four times per day, but added that she “did not remember the whole month of September” before making “several comments about needing to go to jail.”

As the questioning continued, Boyer said she kept the victim in a “padded area” of the upstairs bedroom and would typically set his food on the ground and let him “army crawl” to it when he was hungry (as his medical condition prevented him from walking). However, she said she “became overwhelmed in August” with caring for her three other children and her father.

The situation allegedly continued to deteriorate in September. From the affidavit:

Boyer said that at some point in September, she got overwhelmed and stopped caring for the child. When asked why, she stated that she “didn’t prioritize him.” She stated, “I believe I should have done more,” and agreed that her lack of care led to [her son’s] death. She stated, “my lack of not paying attention and prioritizing other things over him led to him dying.”

The mother then confirmed that she knew her son had been dead for some time due to her failure to care for him. Police wrote:

Boyer said that she didn’t know the last time she actually remembers [her son] eating, and that she stopped giving him water sometime in September. Boyer was unclear whether she stopped giving S.B. food and water before or after he was deceased. When asked if S.B. starved to death, Boyer said she didn’t know. When asked if S.B. froze to death, Boyer stated that she didn’t think so.

Boyer stated that she knew S.B. had passed in September, but she had convinced herself that he was still alive. She didn’t want to accept S.B.’s death until that morning, when she finally “called the police on myself.”

Boyer is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning.