The mother of 2-year-old Virginia boy Noah Tomlin, a toddler who mysteriously vanished from his Hampton home, was arrested in connection with his disappearance, authorities announced on Friday.
According to a Friday press release from the Hampton Police Department, authorities arrested 34-year-old Julia Tomlin on Friday evening. Although charges against Tomlin are pending, police said her arrest was in direction connection to her son, who’s still missing but presumed dead.
“Tonight we are announcing an arrest related to the disappearance of Noah Tomlin,” Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult said. “We are arresting Julia Tomlin, 34-year-old Hampton woman, mother of Noah, in connection with his disappearance. Charges are pending.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Noah’s mother was also arrested in 2010 and charged with child neglect. Her daughter, a 1-year-old at the time, was burned when Tomlin sat her on a scorching hot kitchen stove. Tomlin didn’t take the little girl to the hospital until days later.
Tomlin spent five months behind bars after pleading guilty to the felony charge.
According to court documents, Tomlin had five children at the time of the 2010 incident. It’s still unclear, however, how many children were in the home when Noah vanished. Sult did indicate, however, that the woman’s other children are now in the custody of social services.
Update on search for Noah Tomlin (Friday, June 28)
The mother of 2-year-old Noah Tomlin who has been missing in Hampton has been arrested in connection with his disappearance, police say.Read more: http://via.wtkr.com/WiaXj
Posted by WTKR News 3 on Friday, June 28, 2019
Tomlin reportedly said she put Noah to bed on Sunday at 1 a.m., but by 11:35 a.m the same morning, he was missing. Noah was last seen in his family’s mobile home, off of the 100 block of Atlantic Avenue in Hampton, wearing a diaper and a green and white pajama shirt.
Sult previously said that authorities are leaving no stones unturned. They’re considering every angle as they continue to search for the boy.
“We’re considering everything from the child just walking away to all the way up to including foul play,” Sult said. “We’re not ruling anything out until we find the child. We’re going to take it as worst case and hope for the best case.”
Tomlin initially wasn’t considered a suspect. It’s still unclear what information or evidence led police to arrest her.
Meanwhile, search crews have been scouring a landfill off of Big Bethel Road since Wednesday. They resumed the search on Friday.
According to Sgt. Reginald Williams of the Hampton Police Division, authorities turned their search efforts to the landfill as a standard part of the investigation, but not because of a tip or specific information about the area.
“It’s a step that we had planned from the very beginning that’s going to help us check off some boxes throughout the investigation.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Hampton police 757- 727-6111.
The story continues to develop. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
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[Feature Photo: Noah Tomlin/Handout; Julia Tomlin/Hampton PD]
