Crime & Safety
Mother Of Toddler Who Was Killed By Car Arrested
Rina Padillo, mother of a 15-month-old child who was killed on July 30, has been arrested on a homicide by child abuse charge.
The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has arrested the mother of toddler who was struck by a car on Saluda Dam Road and killed on July 30.
Rina Padilla-Mencia was arrested and charged with homicide by child abuse in connection with the incident that occurred at the Riverview Mobile Home Park. On July 30, a vehicle struck Yoely Padilla, 15-months, on the side of the road. On Thursday, the GCSO confirmed it was in fact her own mother, Padilla Mencia, who drove the car that struck her after the child had reportedly been left to wander without supervision of any to the road.
The charges come after the GCSO referred a previous case to the South Carolina Department of Social Services related to more possible neglect. Padilla-Mencia contacted the authorities on July 21 saying she could not find her daughter, and the investigation revealed there may have been a history of the suspect not providing adequate care and supervision to the child, according to a release from the Sheriff's Office.
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Padilla-Mencia is being held at Greenville County Detention Center. Her bond has not yet been set.
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