Child Burned, Investigators Say Water Temp Reached 137 Degrees

Yesterday, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office took a 27 year-old female into custody as a felony child abuse suspect. 

The investigation goes back to the morning of January 31^st, when the Sheriff’s office investigated the case of a 2 year-old male taken to the emergency room because of severe burns to his hands.  The child was taken to the Colorado Children’s Hospital, and based on what officials at the hospital have had to say about the burns, investigators at the Sheriff’s office believe the burns were caused by hot water. Sheriff’s investigator, Kim Jones, says the 27 year-old female suspect, who is not the biological mother of the child, admits to placing the child’s hands under hot water to clean them, but does not believe the water temperature was high enough to cause the second-degree burns.

Jones said investigators ran the water in the bathroom of the Palomino Road home, and the temperature quickly reached 137 degrees. The suspect was allegedly upset over a potty-training incident where the child’s hands became soiled.  Jones says the suspect does not deny placing the child’s hands under the water and observing them turn red, and the skin start to come off.  Jones reiterated that the suspect still feels that there had to be something more than the water to cause that severe of burns. 

Jones spoke about the felony child abuse charge:  “According to the county attorney and the statute, it can be the intent to harm, or you can be negligent or reckless.”