WYTHE COUNTY, Va. - Authorities arrested a 3-year-old girl's mother and her boyfriend after the girl drowned in the New River while the pair was under the influence of meth, according to Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan.
Josie Burleson was found dead in the New River just after 1 a.m. Wednesday after authorities say her mother, Kimberly Moore, and boyfriend, Adrian Puckett, reported her missing.
Moore and Puckett told authorities that Burleson was playing near the New River trail outside of their rental property on Rocky Road when she wandered off.
Dunagan said there have been drownings in the New River before, but "when it's a small child, it's really different.
Probably the worst thing for the responders is the fact that it is a small child because it tugs at your heart a little bit more."