The mother of an eight-year-old Southern California boy who has been missing for nearly 10 months March and police say is presumed dead has pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges.
Jillian Godfrey, 37, on Wednesday entered guilty pleas to the counts against her in connection to the disappearance of her son, Noah McIntosh, after which a judge ordered her plea form sealed.
In late March, Noah’s father, Bryce McIntosh, 33, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with the special circumstance of torture for the boy’s suspected killing. He pleaded not guilty to the counts.
Jillian Godfrey, 37 (pictured left in court earlier this year), has pleaded guilty to child endangerment related to her missing son, eight-year-old Noah McIntosh (right)
Noah’s father, Bryce McIntosh, 33, has been charged with torturing and murdering his son (pictured in court on April 3)
McIntosh allegedly bought long gloves, bolt cutters, acid, drain cleaner and a large trash bin two days after Godfrey said she last saw her son alive.
Corona Police Chief George Johnstone previously said detectives have found traces of evidence that ‘leave no doubt that Noah is the victim of a homicide,’ even though the child’s body so far has not been recovered.
Godfrey remained jailed without bail on Thursday. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2020, reported Desert Sun.
Meanwhile, Noah’s father is due back in court for a pre-trial conference on March 20.
McIntosh and Godfrey, who lived separately in Corona, California, were arrested on March 13, just over a week after Noah was last seen on March 5.
Corona police Detective Mario Hernandez wrote in a declaration that McIntosh bought two pairs of long-cuffed gloves, 24-inch bolt cutters, four gallons of muriatic acid, and a bottle of drain opener from a Home Depot store on March 4.
He also is said to have searched on his cellphone that day for ‘normal heart rate for 8 year old’ and ‘exactly how sodium hydroxide works.’
McIntosh (left) and Godfrey (right) were arrested on March 13, just over a week after Noah was last seen on March 5
Sodium hydroxide is a corrosive chemical that can dissolve flesh.
Further information extracted from McIntosh’s cell phone led authorities to the unincorporated area of Aguanga, which showed up as one of McIntosh’s previous locations, documents obtained by KTLA showed.
There, authorities noted finding purple latex gloves, a plastic bag with residue that is believed to be blood, parts to a Ninja blender, empty bottles of drain cleaner, empty cans of oven cleaner, blankets, towels and sheet of paper with ‘Noah M’ on it.
Police say Godfrey initially told police she saw her son March 4, but she later said it actually was two days earlier.
Godfrey said she observed McIntosh taking the boy into the bathroom on March 2, and heard her son ask his father why he was hurting him.
Authorities interviewed McIntosh’s daughter, who said she was aware Noah was missing ‘because her daddy told her.’
Police say the daughter described instances of physical abuse being inflicted upon Noah to investigators, including the use of handcuffs to keep the child in a bathtub with cold water. Handcuffs were found when police searched McIntosh’s home.
The daughter also described ‘helping her daddy at times by holding Noah’s legs down,’ according to documents.
Police previously said detectives have found evidence that ‘leave no doubt that Noah is the victim of a homicide,’ even though his body has not been recovered
Godfrey asked officers to perform a welfare check on Noah at around 7pm on March 12. McIntosh allegedly told Godfrey that Noah had been missing since March 6.
Notes in Godfrey’s phone showed she was documenting instances of abuse against Noah by McIntosh, authorities included in the report.
Redacted documents obtained by local media outlets in August revealed that Riverside County Department of Public Social Service had a long history with the family.
In the two years leading up to Noah’s disappearance, case workers investigated as many as 10 reports alleging that the child had his hands zip-tied, dropped in cold water and sent to school without pants.
But the DPSS officials ultimately concluded that those reports were either inconclusive or unfounded, and allowed McIntosh to retain custody of his son and daughter.
In October, a lawyer filed a claim against Riverside County on behalf of Noah’s estate and his sister, accusing social workers of failing to protect the siblings from abuse.