NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A Middle Tennessee woman is behind bars for allegedly faking her autistic child's death by leaving him alone in a hotel room.

The arrest warrant for 39-year-old Vanessa Blanchard filed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office states on October 29 of last year a School Resource Officer from Providence Middle School reached out to the mom after noticing her 12-year-old autistic son had not been attending classes.

Blanchard told the deputy her son had died from a seizure. The school then raised money to help pay for funeral expenses but the funeral home revealed there had been no funeral arrangements made for the boy.

Blanchard then told the school he was in a hospital awaiting an autopsy but the child's laptop was found to be active at the Vacation Motor Motel. Officers were sent to the motel and found the boy alone in one of the rooms.

Officers then contacted Blanchard who admitted she had left him by himself in the room the past two weeks and was "checking on him whenever she could which was daily or every other day."

Blanchard has been jailed and is facing charges of contributing to delinquency of a minor and false impression of death.

Track crime in your area with the AlertNest Crime Map: