HEBER CITY, Utah — A woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly abusing an 11-month-old she was babysitting.
The Wasatch County Sheriff's Office said it was called to Primary Children's Hospital on Friday, where an 11-month-old boy had been transferred from the Heber Valley Hospital.
The parents told police they had dropped the child off at the home of the babysitter, 26-year-old Elioreth Jimenez-Marin, around 8:20 in the morning. Around 2:30 p.m., they said Jimenez-Marin called and told them the baby boy was not doing well and not waking up, so she took him to the hospital.
Doctors later informed police that the child's injuries were severe, suffering trauma to his head, brain bleeding, and possible injuries to his vertebrae. They said his injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome and did not appear accidental.
Jimenez-Marin agreed to speak with police and told them she had changed the baby's diaper and then gone to the bathroom. When she returned, she said the baby was at the bottom of the stairs and was unresponsive and limp. She admitted to shaking the child to try to wake him up. She set him down on her bed, and that's when she said the baby turned pale, his mouth turned white, and he started gasping for air. She said she then picked him up, took him outside and found a neighbor who could take them to the hospital.
Jimenez-Marin was booked on a second-degree felony count of aggravated child abuse. Her bail was set at $10,000.
