YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Police Department held a press conference Thursday afternoon following a suspect being arrested and booked for the death of a 7-month-old.
The mother is facing multiple charges after a welfare check at her home led to the discovery of the deceased baby and a malnourished 2-year-old.
Yakima Police Chief Shawn Boyle said officers found the children at their home on Tuesday, February 25th. The mother was later located at a campground off Highway 410, arrested, and booked into the Yakima County Jail. She made her first court appearance on Wednesday, February 26th.
Court documents reveal that detectives, after interviewing neighbors and assessing the scene, determined the mother was responsible for neglecting and abandoning her two children. Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic says they are pursuing five charges against her.
Those charges include first-degree manslaughter, first-degree criminal mistreatment, family abandonment, first-degree criminal mistreatment domestic violence and family abandonment domestic violence.
The mother’s arraignment is scheduled for March 12.
