Gainesville Mother Arrested after Toddler Found Bound with Tape

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Hall County investigators said a teenage mother tied up and gagged her 16-month-old son Wednesday evening and then drove him to the edge of Lake Lanier.

Grace An, 18, has been arrested and charged with child cruelty, reckless conduct and false imprisonment. Investigators haven't said what her motives were or what she was planning to do.

Authorities said An drove to the dead-end on Ahaluna Drive in Gainesville, where she parked and sat for several hours. At one point, she locked her keys in the car and started going door-to-door asking for someone to call a locksmith. One neighbor agreed to help, but then grew concerned and called 911. Minutes before deputies arrived, a locksmith, Volley Collins, arrived and unlocked her car. Just about that time, investigators said a deputy also arrived on-scene. As Collins was retrieving the keys from inside, he heard the baby crying and alerted the deputy. 

Authorities said the 16-month-old little boy was lying on the backseat floorboards; his hands, feet and mouth all bound and gagged with cellophane and packing tape. An was arrested at the scene while the child was taken to a hospital to get checked out. He was later turned over to DFCS.

Authorities have yet to say what motivated An, but neighbors told FOX 5 News An mentioned to them she had driven there "to do some thinking." An was charged with multiple crimes and remains in the Hall County Jail with no bond.