According to investigators, 33-year-old Narges Shafeirad has admitted to forcing the boy, identified as Daniel Dana, to drink a bottle of medication.
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At a press conference Friday, Montgomery County Police announced they have charged Narges Shafeirad, 33, with first-degree murder and first-degree arson in the death of her 5-year-old son.
On June 16, police and firefighters responding to a vehicle fire in Gaithersburg found Shafeirad lying outside the auto.
Shafeirad claimed the crash and fire was an accident, police said.
At the scene, paramedics found the mother face down outside the auto, screaming in pain.
Capt. Darren Francke, commander of the Montgomery County police department’s major crimes unit, said Friday the child was killed by an overdose of Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine used in allergy medicine, including Benadryl.
According to CBS affiliate WUSA, police say Shafeirad set fire to the vehicle with her son inside in an attempt to cover up his murder.
Police say she suffered severe burns to her hands and other burns on 40 percent of her body. She was still hospitalized when authorities served a warrant for her arrest on Thursday.
The fire was determined to be suspicious and detectives were investigating the case.
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Francke said Shafeirad and her husband had a history of domestic events, but investigators are not aware of any significant disputes in the days before the boy’s body was found. Francke said that Shafeirad doesn’t have a history of mental illness.
