A Virginia woman has been charged with murder in the death last year of an 11-month-old baby who was left inside a car for several hours.

Kristen Danielle Graham, 40, was initially charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanor animal cruelty last September. A dog was also left in the car with the baby and died.

Graham had reportedly been taking care of the child for two days at the time. The child’s mother, then 17, lives in York County.

Investigators say a man in his 80s arrived at the emergency room of Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News on September 12, 2023, telling staff he had a child’s body in his vehicle, CrimeOnline previously reported. Staff went to the car and found the baby dead in a trash bag.

Graham reportedly told investigators she had driven to Newport News on September 11 and then back home the next day and left the child and the dog in the car with the windows rolled up. She gave different stories about the baby’s death: In one, Graham said she was in the car a the time, and in the other she said she left the infant in the car because she was sleeping. In another, she said she didn’t remember anything after pulling into her driveway.

Graham had been released on bond on the animal cruelty and child neglect charges. Police said she surrendered on Thursday at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail and is being held without bond, WVEC reported.

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[Featured image: Kristen Graham/York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office]