Two days earlier, little James Hutchinson and his two siblings were reportedly dropped off in a parking lot by their mother Brittany Gosney, 29, in an alleged plan to abandon her children, according to WKRC.
The father of the young Ohio boy who died last week after clinging onto a moving car, driven by his mother, spoke out regarding the case.
"All she had to do was give him to me," Lewis Hutchingson told WKRC while attending a vigil for the young boy. "She could have dropped him off at my sister's house. I don't understand what would drive somebody to be a monster like that."
"He just brought joy to everybody...he was a great kid. He was my world."
Brittany Gosney reported her 6-year-old son James Hutchinson missing last Sunday morning, but she quickly became a suspect in her son's disappearance, officials said. She was arrested shortly after the boy was reported missing and allegedly confessed to running him over and dumping his body in a nearby river, according to reports.
Two days earlier, little James Hutchinson and his two siblings were reportedly dropped off in a parking lot by their mother Brittany Gosney, 29, in an alleged plan to abandon her children, according to WKRC.
But when James, the youngest, tried to jump back into his mom's car, she allegedly continued to drive, dragging his body in the parking lot of Rush Run Park in Preble County, according to WHIO. The boy was struck and left there, police said.
After a half hour, Gosney allegedly returned to where she left her child, who had head injuries, and took him back home with the other two children, WHIO reported.
The young boy's body was reportedly kept under a window in a spare upstairs bedroom as the other children slept downstairs, according to an incident report obtained by the Daily Beast. Gosney and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, 42, then allegedly disposed of the boy's body from a bridge, dropping it into the Ohio River's rushing waters, WLWT reported, citing court documents.
Gosney reportedly told detectives that Hamilton pressured her into getting rid of her children, WHIO reported.
Police say hours later, the couple then walked into a police station to report the boy as missing. They claimed to have woken up unable to find James, according to a police complaint cited by WHIO.
Authorities quickly circulated a photo of the boy, asking for the public to come forward with any information. But police considered the missing report a cause for concern because parents of missing children normally do not report them in person, reports said.
Soon after, investigators arrested Gosney who reportedly admitted to the harrowing events. She was charged with murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Police also charged Hamilton with tampering with a corpse for allegedly helping throw the body into the river, police said.
There are still many questions left unanswered, police said. Gosney is reportedly not providing information about what her alleged motive was.
"The mother is not showing much remorse at this time," said Middletown Police Department Chief Davis Birk in a news conference last week.
Gosney appeared in court Monday and was given the option of a court-appointed lawyer. Her bond was set to $1 million. Hamilton's bond was set at $100,000.
Both pleaded not guilty, Inside Edition Digital previously reported. Police are still looking for the boy's body.
"He gave the best hugs and cheek kisses," a family member told WLWT.
The surviving children, both in second grade, have been placed in foster care. Gosney reportedly has a fourth child who was previously taken away from the home.
"We are all mourning the loss of our friend James today. James was a happy and joyful soul who loved school," the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary School, where the children attended, wrote in a statement to WHIO.
"I will always remember his bright joy."
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