Watch CBS News

Camden Pierce Hughes's Grandmother Says Thanks

CONCORD, N.H. (CBS/AP) - The grandmother of the little boy found dead along a dirt road in Maine says the birthday she shared with him will never be the same.

She says she's heartbroken over what happened to 6-year-old Camden Hughes, who liked to practice writing and play football in the backyard.

LuRae McCrery of Curtis, Neb., sent a letter to several media outlets saying she is heartbroken over the death of her grandson, but was touched by the outpouring of concern that followed the discovery of his body in South Berwick, Maine, on Saturday.

Julianne McCrery
Julianne McCrery is seen in a police booking photo. She is accused of killing her son Camden Pierce Hughes.

The boy's mother, 42-year-old Julianne McCrery of Irving, Texas, is charged with second-degree murder. She was arrested in Concord, Massachusetts and is accused of killing her son in Hampton, New Hampshire.

WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson reports

McCreary, who is being held in isolation at the Rockingham County Jail, has spoken to her mother by phone.

"Julie called her this morning and asked her why she was in Maine and she said she went up there to get Castor Beans," said her former boyfriend Robert Miller.

Miller says McCrery had tried to kill herself years before with the poisonous beans.

WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports

"She went into a coma," he recounted. "They told her the reason she is alive is because she didn't chew them up. I guess this time she was going to crew them up. Well, she did and they still didn't kill her."

A memorial fund has been set up in Camden's name in Texas.
The money donated will go toward a full burial for Camden and any traveling expenses for his family.
Any money left over will be donated to an organization to be named later, most likely one that works to find lost children

A memorial fund has been set up in Camden's name in Texas.

The money donated will go toward a full burial for Camden and any traveling expenses for his family.

Any money left over will be donated to an organization to be named later, most likely one that works to find lost children.

Camden Hughes Memorial Fund
Northstar Bank of Texas
3301 Teasley Lane
Denton , Tx 76201
940-383-6243

Please make checks payable to: Camden Hughes Memorial Fund

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.