Aunt pleads guilty to abusing children in her care

Aunt pleads guilty to abusing children in her care

November 20, 2008

Sam Penrod and Randall Jeppesen

One of the suspects accused of nearly starving and beating two young children in Eagle Mountain last month has taken a plea deal.

Prosecutors dropped a charge of sexual abuse against the children's aunt, Mary Heath, believing it would be difficult to prove in court.

This plea deal means she will serve time in prison for what investigators called one of the worst cases of child abuse and neglect they've ever seen.

Heath pleaded guilty today to abusing her 9-year-old niece and 8-year-old nephew, children she was supposed to be taking care of.

Prosecutor Tim Taylor said, "One count for each child with regard to withholding food and creating malnutrition or starvation and jeopardizing their lives, and one count for each child in regards to inflicting multiple injuries."

On Oct. 14, police were called to a home in Eagle Mountain after a neighbor saw a young girl outside with no clothes on, who was using newspaper to keep warm.

It was discovered the 9-year-old girl had escaped through a window of a bathroom she had been locked in, and her 8-year-old brother was locked in a separate bathroom.

Prosecutors said the boy was near death and his body temperature was down to 93 degrees when he was found.

Shirl LeBaron, Heath's attorney, said she had been caring for the children for a year after her sister lost custody. He said providing for the children who had a history of previous abuse was challenging. He said, "They were frustrated and overwhelmed with the problems these children had, and there are also some cultural implications here with how some people discipline their children."

But Heath's attorney insisted she is ready to face punishment for what she did to the children. He said, "She is ready to go in there and take full responsibility. She is not going to blame anyone. She is not going to make any excuses."

Authorities said in the past five weeks, the children have both nearly doubled their body weight and are said to be thriving in foster care. Taylor said, "Obviously, these kids are going to struggle for a long time, but the neat thing about kids is that they are resilient, and hopefully they are going to get past this. They are in some counseling. They are in a foster home, and so I think for the most part, considering what they've been through, they are doing pretty well."

Prosecutors say they will ask for prison time when she is sentenced in January.

Heath's boyfriend, Sekoa Aiono, still faces 10 charges of child abuse, and he will return to court in December.