Woman's son says she ran him over and left him on roadside before falsely reporting he's been kidnapped

Thursday, November 14, 2024 - A Louisiana woman is behind bars after police say she falsely reported the kidnapping of her young son last week.

Artasia Viges, 24, called authorities at around 1 a.m. on Nov. 5 to report the alleged kidnapping of her young son near U.S. 190 and Industrial Road in Eunice, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Viges said she was parked on the roadway changing a flat tire when “individuals in an older model truck” took her son.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they learned that citizens found the little boy alone in the parking lot of Heinen Medical Clinic with “abraison injuries to his knees,” the sheriff’s office said.

The child, whose age was not disclosed, told police that his mother “ran him over” and left him on the side of the road.

He was taken to a hospital to be treated.

Juvenile detectives with the sheriff’s office were called to investigate because of the extreme difference in statements between the child and his mother.

Investigation revealed that when Viges pulled the car over, her son jumped out of the car before it came to a stop, which caused the injuries to his knees.

"A subsequent interview with Artasia Viges revealed the awful truth; there was no kidnapping and a young child was left unattended along a major roadway and allowed to run off in the night," police said. "What started as a disagreement between a mother and a child became a bizarre reaction to the child having a tantrum."

The sheriff’s office noted that when Viges pulled the car over, the child, "obviously not properly restrained", bailed out of the car before it came to a stop, which resulted in injuries to the child’s knees.

"The mother chose to leave the child out of the car, allowing him to run off in the dark, along major roadways," police continued. "The mother admitted to detectives that she did not attempt to go after him and ultimately lost sight of him."

Viges is charged with cruelty to juveniles, child desertion and false swearing for purpose of violating public health of safety.

She is in the St. Landry Parish Jail on a $200,000 bond.