PORTLAND, Ore. – A mother accused of forcing her son and daughter off a bridge, causing the boy to drown, had just lost custody to their father, according to court documents.
Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, 31, and Jason F. Smith fought for custody of the children after he left their Tualatin home last year and moved to Eugene, court papers said.
Stott-Smith filed for separation in March and petitioned for sole custody of Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith, 4, and their 7-year-old daughter. A judge, citing the children’s school schedules, ruled in April that the children should stay with their father in Eugene and that Stott-Smith could not visit them without his permission.
Court records also show that the mother has a history of domestic violence.
Stott-Smith was charged Tuesday with aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. Police said the two children on Saturday were either tossed 75 feet from a bridge or fell into the Willamette River.
The boy drowned and the girl, whom authorities have not identified, was hospitalized. She was placed Tuesday in temporary custody of the state.
Stott-Smith was ordered to remain in custody. It wasn’t immediately known whether she had retained an attorney.
