John Jefferson
Inset, top to bottom: Uriha Faith Ridge and Alina Pascal (WAGA). Background: The woods where Alina froze to death (WSB).
A 29-year-old mother in Georgia may spend the remainder of her days behind bars for killing her 3-year-old daughter, bringing her and her 7-year-old sibling out into the freezing woods for nearly 12 hours until she ultimately froze to death.
Douglas County Superior Court Judge Deah B. Warren on Thursday ordered Uriha Faith Ridge to serve a sentence of life in a state correctional facility with the chance for parole in the tragic death of young Alina Pascal, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Ridge pleaded guilty to felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children in connection to her daughter’s January 2024 death.
Prior to Warren handing down her sentence, Senior Assistant District Attorney Victoria Hicks spoke to the court about Ridge’s generally problematic parenting as well as what happened out in the woods that tragic evening, according to a report from Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.
Hicks explained that a few years before Alina’s death, Ridge was drunk at a local bowling alley where she slapped her 7-year-old child and dropped a then-1-year-old Alina on the ground. Ridge was charged with assault and cruelty towards children. She was released after posting bond and was required to refrain from drinking alcohol and to take parenting and substance abuse classes.
The prosecutor continued, saying that on the night Alina died, Ridge was on cocaine and marijuana when she dragged her kids into the woods near a Foxhall Resort. The temperatures on that night dipped well below freezing, harsh conditions that were only exacerbated by steady rain.
At one point, Hicks reportedly recounted how Alina’s older brother tried to help his dying sibling against the elements.
“(Alina’s brother) described trying to warm his sister up by covering her with leaves,” Hicks told the court, per WSB. “The cause of death in this case was hypothermia. She froze to death.”
After Ridge and the children were found the next morning by a work crew, the mother told authorities she and the kids had become lost in the woods. However, police later learned that Ridge was in possession of a fully charged cellphone and did not make attempts to call for help, Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA reported.
In court on Thursday, Ridge’s attorney, Alison Frutoz, said a confluence of factors caused Ridge to put her children in danger.
“This was not just drug addiction, it was drug addiction coupled with severe mental health issues as well, Frutoz explained. “And she has been tragically remorseful as any mother who has done something that has led to the death of her child.”
Ridge opted not to speak during the proceedings.
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