Mother Charged with Murder After Daughter Found Dead in GE Plant Tunnel

Persia Nelson faces upgraded charges following an autopsy that revealed her daughter died of exposure and hypothermia.

Persia Nelson, 24, faces upgraded murder charges after her 11-month-old daughter, Halo Branton, was found dead in a tunnel at a General Electric plant in Schenectady, New York.
The initial charge of second-degree manslaughter was upgraded to second-degree murder, depraved indifference to human life, following an autopsy that revealed Halo died of exposure and hypothermia.
Halo was discovered in a utility tunnel with standing water up to her chest but did not drown; she was pronounced dead at Ellis Hospital.
The search for Halo began after her mother was found trespassing on the GE campus, claiming she lost her child; an Amber Alert was issued but later canceled.
Nelson, who pleaded not guilty to the initial manslaughter charge, is held on $500,000 cash bail or a $1 million bond, with her next court appearance scheduled for Thursday.