People often go to extreme measures to keep warm when it’s cold outside. But one woman took things a little too far. She has been charged with neglect after placing a toddler in a suitcase for warmth. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the child was already prepared for the weather.
Naturally, people tried to figure out what would possess the woman to do such a thing. When she was asked, she said it was suggested to her by a city employee.
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Ashley Gibson, a 29-year-old woman from Bloomington, Indiana, boarded a city bus on December 12, 2024, suitcase in tow. Shortly after she got on, the bus driver heard the young woman say that she had a child inside of the suitcase, WIBC reported.
Upon hearing Gibson’s admission, the driver pulled over the bus and called police. Bloomington Police Department officers showed up to the area of West 3rd Street and South Cory Lane. According to court documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4, the woman was seated toward the front of the bus.
Video footage from the bus viewed by police showed the woman removing the child from the suitcase about 18 minutes after getting on the bus.
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When questioned by the officers on the scene, Gibson shared that the boy was 2 years old and that she had put him inside the suitcase to “keep him warm.”
The officers noted in the documents that the toddler was dressed warmly, wearing a puffy jacket with a hood and pants. WBIW reported that the bus stop where the woman waited was enclosed. It also reported that further investigation didn’t explain why Gibson didn’t take the boy out of the suitcase once on the bus.
The woman did allegedly tell officers, however, that her family caseworker “told her it was okay to do.”
Gibson was arrested and taken to Monroe County Jail, where she was charged with level 6 felony for neglect of a dependent and criminal recklessness, per FOX59. According to court documents shared by FOX59/CBS4, she entered a not guilty plea and was released on January 15, 2025. She is expected to return to court March 12.
