You always hope that every child has someone in their life who is always diligent and looking after them with the utmost care, but sometimes, it’s hard to be sure. A 4-year-old boy with autism was found dead in his home in Pennsylvania, and his mother has been accused of child endangerment. The mother told police she noticed her son had been kneeling in one position for hours without moving, but she didn’t call for help until the next day. The coroner determined that the 4-year-old had been dead for 24 hours by the time emergency crews arrived. How incredibly heartbreaking.
A Pennsylvania mom is under arrest after the death of her 4-year-old son.
Amie Ruleman, 44, of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, has been charged with child endangerment following the death of her 4-year-old son, KATV reported.
According to the charging documents read by CBS 21 News, Ruleman called the police in the early afternoon on April 7, 2026, to report that her son was unconscious and not breathing. The child was declared dead on the scene before officers arrived, and a coroner who observed the child reported that he had been dead for over 24 hours.
The mother told police that her son, who had autism, got sick on Sunday and had been vomiting, so she gave him some Tylenol on Monday morning, per CBS 21 News.
The pair allegedly fell asleep on the couch together. What happened next is difficult to take in.
His mother observed him in a weird kneeling position for hours and simply went back to sleep.
According to Fox 43, Ruleman changed her son’s diaper before falling asleep with him on the sofa.
The mother said she woke up around 4 a.m. on Tuesday and saw her son kneeling on the floor with his head and arms resting on a chair, CBS 21 News reported. Ruleman said his head was facing away from her and she thought he was asleep, so she got up to use the bathroom and then fell back asleep on the sofa.
Ruleman reportedly woke up again around 11:30 a.m. and noted that her son was still in the same position, Fox 43 reported. At some point, she got up to use the bathroom and took a photo of her son and sent it to her juvenile daughter. When she came out of the bathroom about 12:45 p.m., she tried to wake up her son and discovered he was cold to the touch, per the news outlet. It was then that she decided to call for help.
Authorities reported that the boy was malnourished. Drug paraphernalia also was found in the home.
According to News 8, the Franklin County coroner found that Ruleman’s son was malnourished, as he only weighed about 25 pounds and should have been between 33 and 37 pounds. Ruleman told investigators her son routinely ate food items like chips, chicken nuggets, and pancakes. She also told them that he would “frequently eat clothing,” per the news outlet.
The mother admitted to the police that she had not taken her son to five or six scheduled doctor’s appointments, confirming in an affidavit that he had not seen a physician since 2024, per CBS 21 News.
While inside the home, the Franklin County Coroner noted that there was drug paraphernalia near the bathroom sink and the residence was “unclean” and “disheveled.”
According to News 8, an autopsy has been scheduled and will be performed to determine the cause of death of the 4-year-old boy.
Our thoughts go out to this little boy’s family as they try to navigate this incredibly difficult time.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
