ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis woman is accused of routinely smothering her infant child and telling a friend she gets an “adrenalin rush” from doing it.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, the most recent incident took place on April 15 in the 1200 block of Warren Avenue, in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood.
Police claim Emma Rigdon, 28, was with her son when she slapped the child’s leg and then placed her hand over the boy’s mouth and nose, preventing the child from breathing. Rigdon is said to have recorded the incident on video and sent it to a friend.
Police claim Rigdon made another video showing her covering the infant’s face with a blanket and her hand, causing the child to cry and grab at the blanket.
After sending the second video to her friend, Rigdon sent text messages stating, “IDK when I do that, I feel happy like adrenalin rush”; “I be stopping right before he dies. Last time he was blue”; and “I really wanna kill him but I don’t want to go to jail so. It’s unfortunate. He’s just gonna have to pay for his existence.”
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Rigdon with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child. Rigdon remains jailed without bond. She’s due in court next week for a detention hearing.
