In a story eerily reminiscent of The Sixth Sense, Lacey Spears, a 26-year-old mommy blogger from New York, shared on her blog and on social media the heartbreaking tale of her blond-haired, blue-eyed boy’s constant battle with illness.

In January this year, after years of chronicling Garnett’s life online, the single mother posted on her Facebook page agonising photographs of her desperately ill son lying in a hospital bed. A short time later, the little boy fell into a coma and died from what doctors said was acute sodium poisoning.

On Tuesday, after a police investigation that took months, Ms Spears appeared in a New York court and was formally charged over Garnett’s death.

Police allege Ms Spears poisoned Garnett with sodium using a feeding tube into his stomach. She was indicted on charges of depraved murder and manslaughter.

Authorities suspect Ms Spears may suffer from Munchhausen by Proxy, a psychiatric disorder in which a parent sickens a child to garner sympathy, according to local newspaper The Journal News, which has run a series of investigative articles on the case.

In Ms Spears’ case, the sympathy often came via social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter.