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Mother Of Jeremiah Oliver Declared Competent To Stand Trial

WORCESTER (CBS) -- The mother of a 5-year-old Fitchburg boy who was missing for months before his remains were found on the side of a highway is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Jeremiah Oliver was last seen alive in September 2013, but no one reported him missing until December of that year. In April 2014, his body was found inside a suitcase by Interstate 190 in Sterling.

Judge Janet Kenton-Walker declared Jeremiah's mother, Elsa Oliver, competent to stand trial on charges related to her son's disappearance, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

Elsa Oliver's boyfriend, Alberto Sierra, also faces child abuse charges in connection with Jeremiah's disappearance.

Last September, Christian Sierra, Ashley Cormier and Caily Thibault pled not guilty to charges of misleading police as they searched for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah Oliver
Jeremiah Oliver. (Worcester County DA)

The case put a spotlight on the state's Department of Children and Families, and DCF Commissioner Olga Roche would eventually resign.

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