Grandparents speak out after Douglas County mom charged with toddler's death while 'lost' in woods

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - For the first time since a mother has been charged in her  3-year-old's death, the little girl's grandparents publicly reflected on her life.

Investigators believe Uriha Ridge and her two children vanished near Fox Hall Resort on Capps Ferry Road around midnight on Jan. 16. Deputies say she spent nearly 12 hours in the woods while high on drugs and didn't call for help until almost noon.

When the family was found, the children were drenched. The forecast that night showed a low of 27 degrees.

The below-freezing elements proved to be deadly for 3-year-old Alina. She died after being taken to the hospital.

Officials allege Ridge used cocaine and marijuana before heading out into the wilderness that night. She claimed she was lost, but deputies say they discovered that not only did she have a phone on her, it was also charged.

Ridge now faces charges of felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children.

Grandparents remember Alina Ridge as "fashionista"

Grandparents Terry and Donya Ridge remembered 3-year-old Alina as a cheerful and smart "fashionista" who looked up to her older brother.

"She had a beautiful singing voice, and she loved to show off her clothing," Terry Ridge told FOX 5.

When she heard the news of her granddaughter's death, Donya Ridge said her first reaction "was like an utter failure."

"we tried so hard to not get to this point and to know that that happened was terribly, terribly devastating," she said.

She says that the situation has been "difficult" because she still loves her daughter, despite what Uriah Ridge has been accused of doing.

"It’s difficult because I still love my daughter. I always will," Donya Ridge said. "You feel a little regret or the unpreparedness."

"When you’d tell her 'didn’t you just come down to get a soda,' she’d be like no, I haven't been down here at all and it just progressed," Donya Ridge said of her 35-year-old daughter.

When they realized what they were up against, the Ridges became her accountability circle, intervening when it seemed her substance abuse flared.

"When you see someone with a strong system, they’re being a mother not a smotherer," she said.

The couple says they want other families dealing with substance abuse to identify every resource available to them - including housing, intervention and mental health help - before it's too late.

The family is grateful the Douglasville community has rallied around them, like Willie Watkins Funeral Home, which has provided free services for Alina.

"We’re very hopeful with our prayers that Alina’s life and death are not in vain," Terry Ridge said.

Alina's funeral is set for Friday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. at Golden Memorial United Methodist Church in Douglasville.

Uriha Ridge's history of child abuse allegations uncovered following daughter's death

Ridge stood with a still face and her hands cuffed in front of her while charges were read in court.

The FOX 5 I-Team discovered this was not Ridge's first run-in with the law on child abuse charges. In November 2022, she was charged with assault and cruelty towards children and was released on bond.

According to the warrant, she was accused of beating Alina, who was just 2 years old at the time. She also reportedly dropped the toddler while she was "heavily intoxicated." A judge granted her bond, and she was able to keep her kids.

A day after Alina's death, the district attorney asked for that bond to be revoked. FOX 5 dug into court documents detailing those conditions from 2022 and court records reveal that those stipulations required her to refrain from drinking alcohol, live at her mother's residence, and go to both parenting and alcohol classes, once a month. In those documents, prosecutors say she did not provide proof of attendance.