Woman pleads guilty after autistic son thrown from bridge

PORTLAND – A woman who threw her autistic 6-year-old son off a bridge on the Oregon coast has pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years.

Police said Jillian McCabe, of Newport, called 911 in 2014 to report she had thrown her son from the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Emergency crews searched for hours before the body of London McCabe was found.

Court records from Lincoln County show a plea hearing was held Monday.

District Attorney Michelle Branam told the Oregonian that McCabe pleaded guilty to murder and prosecutors agreed to drop charges of aggravated murder and manslaughter.

Relatives said McCabe suffered emotional distress while trying to care for London, who had autism, and for her disabled husband.