4-Year-Old Strangled to Death by Stepmother

(Yakima, WA) -- Yakima Police have arrested and charged a 25-year-old woman with 2nd degree murder after allegedly strangling her 4-year-old stepson. Authorities say they received a call around 11pm from Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital regarding an unresponsive child. According to hospital staff, the boy arrived at the with no pulse, and was not breathing. They tried performing CPR, but ultimately pronounced the child dead shortly thereafter.

Upon further inspection, the medical personnel notice bruises on the boy’s body which raised their suspicion and prompted the call to police. An officer arrived, and then requested detectives from the Special Assault Unit. In an interview, the stepmother revealed that she had strangled the boy at their residence--an apartment on the 1100 block of McKinley Avenue.

The suspect was booked into Yakima County jail Thursday morning and has since been charged with second-degree murder. Her name will be released after a preliminary hearing. The boy will undergo an autopsy tomorrow in King County. The boy’s father is not suspected in the death. However, Child Protective Services has removed two other children from the home.