Ohio Mom Accused of Dumping Her 6-Year-Old Son James Hutchinson in River is Deemed Fit to Stand Trial

Brittany Gosney and James Hamilton.
Middletown Police Department

Brittany Gosney was charged in connection with the death of her son, first-grader James Hutchinson. The mother allegedly confessed to killing the boy in an effort to abandon him and her two other children in a park in the middle of the night.

An Ohio mother accused of murdering her 6-year-old son James Hutchinson, and then dumping his body into the Ohio River is considered competent to stand trial, according to reports. Brittany Gosney underwent a psychological evaluation ordered by the court after her lawyer entered a plea of not guilty to be the reason for insanity.

Gosney was charged in connection to the death of her son, James, who was only in first grade. The mother allegedly confessed to killing the boy on Feb. 26 in an attempt to abandon him and her two other children at Rush Run Park in Preble County in the middle of the night, according to court documents.

The young boy reportedly tried to get back into his mother's car but she drove off in her minivan. He was still clinging onto the door as she continued to drive away, dragging his body in the parking lot of the park, court documents said.

Gosney kept driving but then returned to the parking lot and picked up her children. Gosney and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, 42, allegedly dumped the boy's body into the Ohio River after keeping him in an upstairs bedroom, WHIO reported.

The next day, Gosney reported her son missing but cops quickly considered her a suspect in his disappearance. She was arrested shortly after she made the report.

She allegedly confessed to the crime and told police that Hamilton pressured her to abandon her children, police said.

Gosney has been charged with murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Hamilton is charged with tampering with a corpse for his alleged role in helping dispose of the young boy's body. They both pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The lawyer representing Gosney instead plead insanity and the court ordered a psychological examination to evaluate her "competency and sanity at the time of the commission of the offense," Judge Noah Powers said, according to Fox19.

She remains held at the Butler County Jail on $2 million bond, according to online records. Hamilton also remains held on $750,000 bond.

In a similar case, search crews are still looking for the body of 3-year-old Nylo Lattimore, who was also thrown into the Ohio River sometime in December by his mother's boyfriend, Fox19 reported. Desean Brown was arrested and charged with the murder of the boy and his mother, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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