by Michelle Stein posted in Parenting

It's every mother's worst nightmare. But right now, Ebony Archie is living it.
The Jackson, Mississippi, mom had left her 6-year-old son, Kingston Frazier, in the back seat of her running Camry early yesterday morning to pop inside a Kroger store. In the 10-15 minutes she was away, a Honda Civic pulled up, someone jumped into her car and then drove away -- with her sleeping child still inside.
Hours went by as the search for Kingston continued. Police and family members plead for the boy to be returned or dropped off anywhere unharmed. Tragically, it was announced later that morning the boy was discovered dead with at least one gunshot wound to the back of his head. Archie's car was found abandoned about 15 miles away behind a warehouse, her son's body in the back seat. So far, three 17-year-old suspects have been arrested in connection with the heinous crime.
Whatever circumstances led these criminals to steal the car doesn't matter at this point. It's just a car. Replaceable. This was an innocent, terrified child who was killed in cold blood.
Every time I come across this story on a different news outlet, I feel sick to my stomach. This little boy is about the same age as my son; I cannot imagine the agony his mom is feeling right now. (And this New York Times photo of the grief-stricken mother right after she had been notified of her baby boy's fate just shatters my heart.) Yes, leaving her child unattended in a running car...