Overview

• Gloria Elena Hughes, a 37-year-old woman from North Carolina, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death after allegedly beating her 3-year-old son, Jason Garcia, to death.
• Hughes was found by an off-duty deputy in Maryland, holding her lifeless son in the street. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Hughes repeatedly striking her son's head against the ground.
• Hughes had fled North Carolina amid a heated custody battle with the boy's father. The father had contacted local police warning that she may be taking the boy to Maryland.
• The day before the alleged murder, Hughes was reportedly seen crying in her car with her son. She brushed off a local who attempted to intervene and drove away.
• Hughes is currently being held at the Harford County Detention Center without bond and awaits a competency exam. The judge has also ordered a competency evaluation for the trial.