Woman Charged With Malicious Punishment After Death Of 2-Year-Old Son

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman is accused of physically abusing her two young sons, including her 2-year-old who died.

Navonna L. West, 25, faces two counts of malicious punishment of a child. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Police said they found evidence that West physically abused her 2-year-old and her four-month-old baby.

West is being held at the Hennepin County jail on a $100,000 bail. She has a court appearance scheduled for Monday afternoon.

On May 4, Minneapolis police responded to a home for a report of a child not breathing. At the scene, officers found the child's mother, whom they identified as West.

West was attempting CPR on the 2-year-old child, according to the criminal complaint. The child was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

At the hospital, police noted "numerous injuries" on the child's body, including bruising and scratches, according to investigators.

The medical examiner performed an autopsy and "observed blunt force injuries in various stages of healing," the criminal complaint states.

After police noticed the injuries on the 2-year-old's body, police brought in the child's four-month-old brother for an examination at the hospital.

The infant also had several injuries, including scarring, scabbing, bruising, possible chemical burns, rib fractures and fluid in his abdomen, according to the criminal complaint.

He had also been exposed to fentanyl, investigators said.

Police interviewed three witnesses who reported seeing West strike the 2-year-old, according to the criminal complaint.

A witness also reported seeing West watch her 2-year-old son eat cigarette ashes, police said. West thought it was "funny," according to the criminal complaint.