K. Tolson, a 23-year-old mother of Maryland, was charged with first-degree murder. She was accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter Blair and Tolson’s arrest came after the police were tipped off by Tolson’s friend, who called 911 after the mother reportedly told them what she had done and admitted to killing her baby.
According to the 911 caller, Tolson told them that she had killed little Blair. The friend said she was currently with Tolson at the time of the call, the police department said in a press release. Officers responded to their location, and Tolson was taken into custody for questioning.
During an interview with the police, Tolson didn’t seem to hesitate in admitting her crime. While speaking with investigators, Tolson said she starved 15-month-old Blair for three and a half weeks in the apartment where they lived until her child finally died. Tolson also told the police that Blair had died nearly a month prior.
As if the thought of starving a toddler for nearly a month isn’t incomprehensible enough, what Tolson did next is even more chilling. Tolson said that after her daughter succumbed to starvation, the mom stuffed Blair’s body into a pillowcase and thrash bags, then threw it in a dumpster on the grounds of her apartment complex, discarding the child as if she were nothing more than a piece of trash.
Following Tolson’s shocking admission, police found evidence corroborating her account in her apartment, including a pillow that was missing a pillowcase. Although the child’s body had yet to be recovered, Tolson was placed under arrest and charged with first-degree murder.
Perhaps just as troubling as Tolson’s admission is the one Blair’s father also made. When questioned about his daughter’s death, he said it had been almost three months since he last saw his daughter or had any contact with Tolson. For three months, this dad didn’t check to see how his daughter was doing. Meanwhile, she was being mercilessly starved to death by her own mother.
Concern for the most vulnerable members of our society encourages a sense of community, which is desperately lacking across our country. Had anyone checked on Blair at any time while she was being starved, they would have seen a miserably hungry and unhealthy baby. It would have been obvious that something was wrong, and it would have only taken a concerned call to authorities to possibly save a life.
