MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mercer County woman is behind bars after a months-long investigation revealed she allegedly concealed her three children in unsanitary and dangerous conditions in remote wooded areas to avoid Child Protective Services.
Ashley Nicole Smith, 30, was arrested on April 16, 2025, and charged with three counts each of concealing a minor child and gross child neglect.
She is currently being held at Southern Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Captain Steven A. Sommers of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began in April 2023 after CPS received reports of poor living conditions and suspected drug use by Smith and the children’s father. The family was living in Bluefield at the time.
Authorities say the family was evicted and began moving frequently, losing contact with CPS for months.
In December 2023, officials temporarily located the family, but Smith and her partner reportedly failed to cooperate with drug screenings.
By May 2024, CPS had lost contact again. Investigators learned through family members that the children were living in a trailer with no running water, infested with snakes, and surrounded by hazardous living conditions. Reports described the children as dirty, thin, and poorly clothed.
On June 28, 2024, a CPS worker attempted to make contact at the location but was told to leave by the children’s father.
Emergency custody was granted that same day, but Smith refused to turn over the children, claiming she was in Kentucky.
A tip led law enforcement and CPS to a remote area off Old Coaldale Mountain Road in Bramwell.
Deputies located a campsite in the woods, where the children were living in tents without adequate food, water, or shelter.
Smith and the children were found deeper in the woods, while the children’s father was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant from Virginia.
Authorities described the children’s condition as extremely poor.
They were covered in dirt and debris, two of them barefoot and wearing only t-shirts, with visible injuries and signs of neglect. One child reportedly had insects jumping off her while in a CPS worker’s car.
During a forensic interview in July 2024, one of the children said they had moved four times in a month to avoid being found by CPS. She said they were often hungry and slept outside while their parents slept in the car.
Medical records later revealed that two of the children had never been vaccinated and none were receiving regular medical care.
