SAN ANTONIO — The case of a mother charged with leaving her child in a lonely parking lot in the dead of night almost four years ago is the subject of a new episode of a national crime podcast.
True Crime Chronicles is taking a look at the case of Michele Boyd, who is accused of leaving her young daughter by herself in a San Antonio parking lot in 2016. Boyd then disappeared for more than a year before turning up in North Carolina.
KENS 5's Sue Calberg is interviewed as part of the episode as the podcast explores what is known about what happened and looks ahead to the next steps in the case against Boyd.
You can download and subscribe to True Crime Chronicles on any podcast platform, including Google Play, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Boyd, who is charged with child abandonment with the risk of bodily injury, was due in 227th District Court in San Antonio this week, but because of coronavirus concerns, one of Boyd’s attorneys said this is one of many cases on hold for now.
Joseph Hoelsher, who is part of Boyd’s defense team, said it may be quite some time before the case is heard.
Boyd is accused of leaving her young daughter bound to a commercial ice machine in a parking lot in east San Antonio on Thanksgiving night in 2016, some 30 miles from the family home. A passerby found the small girl and took her to a nearby store and called police for help.
Police said the girl was unhurt, and she was sent home with her father, while the search for her mother continued.
Because it was a holiday weekend and many businesses were closed, police didn’t find Boyd’s car for several days. Employees of a restaurant eventually found the vehicle abandoned in an alleyway behind the business.
At the time, puzzled family members said Boyd’s personal effects, like identification, wallet and cell phone, were all found in the car, but Boyd had vanished without a trace. And, investigators said, she remained missing until she showed up, under an assumed name, in an emergency room in Raleigh, North Carolina, to be treated for a critical illness in March 2018.
When investigators in North Carolina learned her true identity and discovered the outstanding warrant for her arrest, Boyd was charged locally and then transferred back to Texas to face that allegation.
Attorney Hoelsher said Boyd has been out of jail on bond since her return to San Antonio and that she has been doing well. Hoelsher said the family is working on healing for Boyd, who they believe suffered from some sort of mental health issue that caused her to run.
Hoelsher said when the case does finally move forward, they will present an argument that the family is doing well and wants to continue making progress.