Cassie Smith
Authorities in Las Vegas are awaiting autopsy findings before proceeding with charges against the mother of a 3-year-old boy found dead on Labor Day at a remote area near Lake Mead, and the woman's boyfriend.
A judge on Monday reset a hearing for Jan. 31 on murder and child abuse allegations against 20-year-old Cassie Renee Smith and 41-year-old Joshua Oxford.
Smith and Oxford were arrested Sept. 3, a day after Smith reported her son, Daniel Theriot, went missing at a Las Vegas park.
Police launched a search while distributing a photo of the blond boy with a wide smile wearing a pirate costume.
Police say Smith later described Oxford hitting the boy and pouring hot water on him, and that Smith's 2-year-old son also showed signs of physical abuse.