Mom Accused of Killing Son, 7

(Greenville, South Carolina) A 27-year-old mother, Amanda Reagan Smith, has been arrested for the murder of her 7-year-old son, Devon Chad Epps, last August.

According to Greenville County Deputy Coroner Karie Cain, the boy died of asphyxia due to neck compression.

Deputies announced the charge Monday in front of the Law Enforcement Center after an investigation that spanned nearly three months.

In the beginning of the investigation, Smith told deputies that a man with a knife got into the passenger side of her 2000 Honda Civic when she stopped on an Interstate 85 frontage road between late Aug. 12, said Master Deputy Michael Hildebrand.

According to Smith, the man demanded she drive to a nearby wooded area on Jacobs Road and then get out of the car, Hildebrand said. Smith told deputies the man locked himself inside and put a pillow over the boy's face, Hildebrand said.

After three months of intense investigation, Greenville County Sheriff Steve Loftis said that they "concluded that Amanda Smith is responsible for the death of her son." Smith was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

Tip: RG