Gaithersburg, Md. — A 33-year-old Maryland woman faces murder charges after police say she intentionally overdosed her 5-year-old son, Daniel Dana.
On June 16 around 3:30 a.m. a Montgomery County ambulance saw a 2003 Toyota Corolla stuck in brush near the intersection of I-370 and Fields Road in Gaithersburg. The female driver, now identified as Narges Shafeirad, 33, was pacing and screaming outside of the car. She told paramedics that someone was trapped inside the burning vehicle. That individual turned out to be her young son. Rescuers tried to save the 5-year-old, but all four of the car’s doors were locked shut. Daniel died in the back seat.
Shafeirad, who is currently in custody in a medical facility, also faces first-degree arson charges, police say.
According to police, Daniel’s death was not the result of a car crash. Instead, police say that Shafeirad intentionally had her son overdose on diphenhydramine, a common ingredient in Benadryl, by forcing him to drink from a bottle.
Police also say the woman used gasoline to light the car on fire.
