AVON PARK, Fla. — A more serious charge has been filed against the mom who has been in jail since her 5-year-old son was found dead in a lake in Avon Park.
Chance Peterkin's body was discovered around 12:20 a.m. on July 24 in the waters of Lake Lelia.
The discovery of the boy's body came after an extensive search for him and his mother, 29-year-old Philletta Moransit. They'd been reported missing a day earlier, about nine hours after they walked out of a home on Purcell Street, according to law enforcement.
Moransit was found just two hours later on the campus of South Florida State College, but Peterkin wasn't with her. The Highlands County Sheriff's Office said Moransit wasn't cooperative.
"She has not shared any information about what happened the day Chance died," the sheriff's office said.
Deputies decided to search the water after finding clothes near the lake. That's when they found Peterkin's body.
"His body was nearly 100 feet from the shore in thick grass," the sheriff's office wrote in a news release Friday. "The grass would have made it very unlikely that a child could have gotten to that portion of the lake without assistance."
His death was ruled a drowning.
At the time, deputies charged Moransit with aggravated child abuse and resisting an officer. But, on Wednesday, the State Attorney's Office upgraded her charge to aggravated manslaughter of a child. If convicted, she could face up to life in prison.
Detectives say they are still trying to talk to anyone who may have seen the mother and son that day. Anybody with information should call the sheriff's office at 863-402-7250 or email detectives@highlandssheriff.org. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS or www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com.
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