Disturbing Case: Indiana Mother, Bethany Joy Fleming Arrested for Alleged Attempted Murder of Son



In Indiana, a 32-year-old mother got arrested this week after a horrifying incident where she allegedly attempted to kill her own 10-year-old son. 


The chilling act involved her striking the boy in the head with a hammer and then trying to end her own life. Bethany Joy Fleming was taken into custody on Thursday and faces one count of attempted intentional murder, as per court records reviewed by Law&Crime.

On October 3, at around 5:36 p.m., Fort Wayne Police Department officers responded to an emergency call at the Tyler Terrace Apartments in the 1200 block of Ralph Avenue, about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis. When they arrived, they found an adult woman, later identified as Fleming, and a young boy, both suffering from life-threatening injuries. The homicide unit took over the investigation.


While the police initially didn't provide many details, a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fort Wayne's ABC and NBC affiliate, WPTA, shed light on the disturbing circumstances. Fleming had made the initial 911 call, expressing her belief that someone was coming to her home to abduct her and her son, intending to sell them into a sex trafficking ring.

She allegedly said on the 911 call, "So I tried to kill him, I think I killed him, and I stabbed myself. Please, my name is Bethany."

When officers arrived at Fleming's apartment, they found her inside, bleeding from an apparent stab wound to the neck. She reiterated her fear of being sold into sex slavery. When asked if she had harmed her son, she reportedly confessed to striking him in the head with a hammer, believing it was the only way.


Both Fleming and her son were rushed to a local hospital, where the boy was diagnosed with a fractured skull and a brain bleed. He underwent emergency surgery, and as of Thursday afternoon, his condition remained critical, with uncertainty about his survival. Fleming is currently held without bond in the Allen County Jail.

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