CAMBRIA COUNTY, PA – A tragedy has unfolded in Cambria County as a mother faces homicide charges following the death of her young son. Jennifer Bowser, 41, of Lilly, was arrested after law enforcement responded to a distressing scene at Martha’s Manor, where attempts to resuscitate her 5-year-old son, Samson, were unsuccessful.

Authorities were called to the 100-block residence on Monday for a report of a child in cardiac arrest. Emergency measures were unable to revive the young victim, who was found lifeless at the scene by his aunt, and efforts of CPR failed to save him.

Initial reports from the family indicate Bowser had been experiencing troubling auditory hallucinations, urging her to take her son’s life. Desperate and afraid, Bowser confessed to blocking her son’s airway to prevent imagined threats to his safety. Bowser was hearing directives from what she termed as a “machine box or mic box,” compelling her to act to save her son from sinister outcomes.

According to the criminal complaint, Bowser described an escalating series of voices culminating in a harrowing scenario where she believed law enforcement was preparing to harm the child. Bowser told investigators she felt she had no choice but to smother Samson to protect him from a perceived menace. She detailed a harrowing struggle with the 5-year-old, which resulted in Samson’s untimely death.

District Attorney Greg Neugebauer relayed the complexities of the investigation, acknowledging both mental health concerns and the need for privacy. At the press briefing, Neugebauer expressed the profound impact the incident had on the community and law enforcement, many of whom are parents themselves.

Currently, Bowser is detained without bail and is facing multiple felony charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated assault on a victim under the age of 13, and strangulation. Her preliminary hearing is slated for February 20.

Tuesday’s autopsy confirmed the cruel manner of death. Cambria Coroner Jeff Lees ruled the cause as homicide by asphyxia due to compression of the chest and airway. Local law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, and fire companies, along with the district attorney’s office, supported the somber investigation led by Detective John Kutchman and Chief Mike Nycum.