VERNAL, Utah — A woman was arrested Monday after police said they determined that she was responsible for the death of a toddler who was under her care back in September.
Angela Accutoroop, 50, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse homicide, a 2nd-degree felony.
Vernal City Police said Accutoroop called 911 on Sept. 4 after the young boy she was caring for stopped breathing.
She told police that she had placed the 3-year-old on a shower seat with the water running, and at some point when she wasn't looking, the child fell off and hit his head. Emergency dispatchers coached her through CPR attempts until first responders arrived.
The boy was taken to the Ashley Regional Medical Center, then later airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City due to the severity of his injuries.
He died three days later.
According to the arrest report, the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that the child's death was caused by blunt force head injuries. They found multiple head injuries ranging from bruising to brain bleeding, and ultimately concluded that the child did not die from falling off a shower seat.
Police said Accutoroop maintained her account of what happened, but she could not explain the cause of the various other injuries.
Police said Accutoroop was not the boy's mother, but he was living with her and she was the primary caretaker as of about six weeks before the child's death.
She was booked into the Uintah County Jail and is being held without bail.
