Nakira Griner, 24, was allowed to skip the hearing, given she’s on suicide watch in the county jail across the street.
Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Vogelsong spoke of how authorities were first told of the abduction of 23-month-old son Daniel Jr., but then Nakira’s story started falling apart. Police also noticed the windows of the house wide open and the smell of smoke in the air.
READ: Mother charged with murder of missing toddler in Bridgeton
Her husband also found a bag in the back yard.
"It was a large handbag with pink trim that belonged to his wife, Nakira Griner, and had last been seen inside the house," Vogelsong told Superior Court Judge Robert Malestein. "Closer examination of the contents of that bag were determined to be burnt child remains."
Griner’s defense attorney, Kim Schultz, at first suggested this might have been an accident, then contended her client suffers from post-partum psychosis and needed to be treated at home.
"Post partum psychosis, which obviously is where there are delusions and it’s much more significant than post partum depression, it tends to get worse with each additional pregnancy."
Nakira became pregnant with her second child some five months after Daniel Jr. was born in 2017.
Vogelsong said in court the state was not aware of any treatment for post partum depression or psychosis.
Keishla Ayala of Vineland says she attended high school with the defendant and called the case "heartbreaking" and the death of Daniel Jr. "outrageous."
A mother of two, herself, she said, "I had a little post-partum myself with my first child, but I never, never had thoughts of harming myself or my kids."