Foster mom charged in death
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
A West Valley woman has been charged with criminal homicide and child abuse in the death of an 18-month-old foster child in her care.
The Utah Department of Human Services, meanwhile, will conduct an independent investigation to review what happened in the foster home.
Jeannette Ilene Gomez, 30, remained in the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday. Her bail was set at $1 million.
On Oct. 22, a baby had stopped breathing at a house near 3400 South and 6400 West. The foster mother told police the baby fell from his crib and hit his head, according to court documents filed Tuesday in 3rd District Court. Authorities do not believe the woman.
Gomez told an officer she heard a "thud" and found the baby face down on the floor beside the crib. She said she carried the baby to another room and shook him several times in an attempt to revive him. Then she called 911 and tried CPR with a dispatcher over the phone, court documents state.
Authorities arrived at the house and found large purple and red swelling on the right side of the baby's head. He was airlifted to Primary Children's Medical Center. A trauma nurse told a detective she did not believe the baby had merely fallen from his crib. An ophthalmologist agreed; he examined the baby's eyes because of hemorrhaging.
The baby was pronounced dead at 9:40 a.m. the next day, court documents state.
The autopsy found hemorrhaging, various small contusions and injuries to the scalp, torso and extremities. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office believes the injuries were caused by something with a velocity greater than the baby's weight dropped a few feet, court documents state.
Police measured 36 inches from the crib to the carpet. The padding under the carpet is relatively new. There were no broken parts on the crib, according to the court documents.
Police believe Gomez was frustrated with the baby's crying and may have hit the baby or thrown him. Prosecutors, however, are cautious of revealing their version of the alleged abuse until trial, said Kent Morgan, spokesman for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
"I don't think anybody knows" what happened that night, Morgan said. "The child was certainly injured by a number of blows. It's hard to say how those blows are inflicted."
Carol Sisco, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, said Gomez and her husband — who was not home when the baby stopped breathing — received licenses to become foster parents in October 2002.
"She was just due to be re-licensed," she said.
Obtaining a license requires clearing a criminal background check, 32 hours of foster training and 12 additional hours of training each year.
In training, foster parents learn "what to do if you think you're going to lose control. It's a pretty extensive and intense program," Sisco said.
The DCFS' independent investigation will be done by an outside, private agency to avoid a conflict of interest. The foster licenses of Gomez and her husband have been suspended. "But the license wouldn't be revoked until such time the person was found guilty," Sisco said.
The state removed the baby's 5-year-old sister from Gomez's house. Gomez's two biological children were taken to relatives' homes. The three other children showed no signs of abuse.
The criminal homicide charge against Gomez is a first-degree felony, punishable with five years to life in prison. The child abuse charge is a second-degree felony, punishable with up to 15 years behind bars.