HAMPTON, Va. — The murder case of a woman accused of killing her two-year-old son will go to a grand jury.
At a preliminary hearing Monday morning, a judge certified that all the charges against Julia Tomlin should be reviewed by a grand jury.
Tomlin was charged with murder, felony child neglect and unlawful disposal of a body after her son, Noah, was found dead this past summer.
The toddler was found dead at the Hampton Steam Plant on July 3 after disappearing on June 24.
A Hampton Police officer testified Monday that he had to leave the scene after finding the remains of Noah Tomlin due to the overwhelming smell and sight.
Law enforcement and the community actively searched for Noah for days up until he was found.
His death shocked the entire area. Residents hoped for his safe return home up until the body was found.
Prosecutors presented evidence at the preliminary hearing that established enough probable cause to send the case to the grand jury, the judge said.
One piece of evidence was Julia Tomlin's interview with the FBI on June 28, five days before Noah's body was found.
Tomlin told the FBI that she attempted to give the child CPR after he drowned in the bathtub and hit his head. She recanted the statement later, citing that she said this to "prove a point."
One of the fathers of Tomlin's 10 children testified Monday that she bought heroin from him the night before Noah Tomlin died.
Julia Tomlin later told FBI investigators she used heroin that night. She was in sole custody of three children under the age of three at the time.
Hampton Police investigators presented new evidence Monday, including photos of bloodstains that were cleaned from the wall and a shirt at Tomlin's house.
Commonwealth's Attorney Anton Bell held a news conference after the autopsy was released this fall saying he believed the child was tortured and that Julia Tomlin should "never hold a baby again."
The autopsy revealed he died of blunt force trauma and that there were signs of severe abuse to his body.