Amber Griffith: Indiana mom accused of neglect after 3-year-old son risks having leg amputated due to frostbite

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INDIANA: A 28-year-old mother from Indiana was taken into custody on suspicion of abandoning her 3-year-old son for weeks in a frigid house without heat, causing the child's foot to turn black from frostbite so bad that his leg might have to be amputated.

According to court documents obtained, Amber Griffith was placed under arrest on Thursday, February 1 and charged with two counts of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury.

Amber Griffith's 3-year-old son undergoes surgery

"It’s certainly a disturbing case that our child abuse detectives are working," Indianapolis Police Department Officer William Young told Indianapolis Fox59.

Court records that the station was able to obtain state that on January 19, Griffith took her son to the hospital because both the child and she were having trouble with their feet.

That day, as well as the days before, the temperature had fallen to just a few degrees.

But when medical professionals examined the young patient, they apparently discovered that he had severe frostbite, resulting in the entire foot turning black.

The same day the toddler underwent surgery in which medical professionals tried to remove the injured tissue from his foot. However, they later reportedly stated that the boy might still require a leg amputation just below the knee.

When law enforcement officials were notified about the boy's condition, they discovered that Griffith and her son resided in a house in the 1100 block of E Gimber Street with the boy, his grandmother, and another relative.

Griffith claimed in a police interview that the pipes had frozen, leaving the house without running water or heat. She also acknowledged that for almost a month, she had known there was a problem with her son's foot.

Investigation ongoing in Amber Griffith case 

According to police, "Amber (Griffin) said (the child’s) foot was discolored 2-3 weeks prior to going to the hospital but then became normal again." This information was included in a probable cause affidavit that was obtained by the Kansas City Star.

"Amber said 2-3 days prior to the hospital, his foot looked normal and maybe a little drained of color." 

Even though her son was in critical condition, Griffin claims that he started to feel pain in her foot, which led her to visit the hospital.

According to reports, the grandmother of the victim informed investigators that she was unaware of the boy's condition until she assisted him in putting on his shoes as they were getting ready to leave for the hospital.

Griffin also allegedly made a number of odd claims in his interview with the police. She reportedly told WXIN that she had given birth to twins last year, beaten one of them to death, and buried the child herself.

She also reportedly acknowledged using heroin and methamphetamine. According to information obtained by police, Griffin had her two children taken from her in 2015 due to the appalling conditions in which they were living.

When police searched the house using a search warrant, they discovered no signs of human remains.

Officer Young stated, "This investigation is still active and ongoing, but it’s so important for adults not just police and hospital personnel to speak up for kids whenever we have a case like this."