Mom charged with murder after driving into lake with son

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A woman who drove into a lake with her 6-year-old son in the car has been charged with attempted 1st-degree murder.


State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Shannon O'Toole said Leonora Cillay was taken into custody and charged Thursday shortly after she was released from a hospital in Chapel Hill. O'Toole said he didn't know the condition of Cillay's son.

A report from the state Division of Parks and Recreation said Cillay told park rangers that "an organization was after her son and this was the best option" to save him.

O'Toole said Cillay drove her car off a boat ramp and was rescued by a family who had just launched their pontoon boat.

Cillay was taken to a local jail. Online records didn't indicate whether she has an attorney.