A West Valley woman is facing multiple felony charges after police say she attempted to murder her own 7-year-old son.
Petrice Garcia, 35, is charged with three counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and one count of Attempted Aggravated Murder, among other charges, according to documents filed Thursday bythe Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
According to the probable cause statement included in the filing, the investigation began May 3, 2025, when a detective with West Valley City Police responded to reports of child abuse, later finding a 7-year-old boy with injuries and "blood all over his face and shirt."
A witness told the detective that Garcia hit the boy on his head with a statue and then tried to drown him in an attempt to kill him. The witness then said Garcia exited her home, completely nude, stating: "Call the cops, I tried killing my son".
Garcia then entered a neighbor's home, confronting the neighbor's child, and later assaulting the neighbor.
Meanwhile, another witness saw the boy running down the street, asking for help, with visible blood. That same witness then saw Garcia pursuing the boy before jumping a neighbor's fence. She later ran and assaulted said neighbor, who tackled her to the ground and restrained her until police arrived.
Garcia and the child were taken to separate hospitals for treatment. During treatment, Garcia assaulted a nurse, and then attempted to take an officer's weapon when they tried to restrain her.
At the same time, the boy told police that Garcia had first tried to force him out of the house, dragging him by the arm down a set of stairs. He had held onto one of the bars on the stairwell in an attempt to get away. He then said Garcia picked him up, threw him into the tub and began running cold water over him, at the same time trying to choke him, later taking him out of the tub and hitting over the head with a statue.
The boy then said Garcia stopped and lied down on the floor, allowing him to run and hide in his grandmother's bedroom. When he then tried to leave through the front door, Garcia blocked the way, leading him to exit through the back door to a neighbor's house.
Detectives investigated Garcia's home, finding blood stains on a stair railing, and later found a bathtub filled with water where they also found blood and a broken statue. Doorbell camera footage also caught moments where she assaulted the boy.
Post-Miranda, Garcia said she was "pretty sure she hit" the child but could not remember grabbing and using the statue as a weapon. She admitted to assaulting her neighbors, entering her neighbor's house, and assaulting officers.
Garcia is currently being held without bail, and her first court appearance is set for May 13.
