Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
GAITHERSBURG — (WMAL) The mother of a five-year-old was arrested and charged with first degree murder and arson. Montgomery County Police told reporters Friday 33-yr-old Narges Shafeirad forced her son, Daniel Dana, to drink an entire bottle of Benadryl and then took his body, put it in her car and set the car on fire in an attempt to cover up the crime.
“The biggest thing is someone’s gotta explain to a bunch of little first graders why their classmate aren’t there anymore. There’s no reason for this. This is Montgomery County. There’s plenty of services,” said Capt. Darren Francke adding the tragedy could have been avoided if the family had gotten help. He also said there was no indication prior to the murder that Shafeirad was planning anything, and she doesn’t have any history of mental illness.
Paramedics found Shafeirad’s burning car at the intersection of Sam Eig Highway and Fields Road in Gaithersburg June 16 around 3:30 a.m. Reports after the accident said Shafeirad frantically told police her son was in the car, but Friday police said that wasn’t the case. She didn’t tell them anyone was inside the burning vehicle.
Statements from victims and physical evidence raised suspicion the incident wasn’t an accident. An investigation found gasoline in the burnt out car, and the autopsy revealed the child died of an overdose.
The alleged murder happened the day Shafeirad and her husband were scheduled to have their final divorce hearing.
“It’s incredibly unfortunate. The dad is obviously devastated by it. No, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence,” Francke said.
Shaferaid is now in an undisclosed medical facility being treated for burns on 40 percent of her body, including hands and knees, injuries consistent with setting a fire.
Francke expects her to be transferred from the hospital to jail sometime in the next week.
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Prince George’s County Police)
