PA Woman Used Baby Wipes To Choke Toddler To Death: Police

EVERETT, PA — A Bedford County woman is facing a murder charge after Pennsylvania State Police said she tried to choke a 3-year-old boy with baby wipes, leading to the child's death.

Chelsea Renae Cooley, 31, of Everett, was charged with criminal homicide, recklessly endangering another person, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, simple assault, and strangulation, according to state court documents.

The charges stem from a May 28 incident in which state police were called to a home on East First Street in Everett. When police arrived, they found the boy choking on baby wipes, authorities said.

The child was airlifted to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he died from his injuries, according to police. An autopsy confirmed the boy died from manual strangulation and asphyxiation.

Cooley told police she put the child to bed, and when she checked on him an hour later, he was unresponsive and appeared to have awet wipe stuck in his throat, the Bedford Gazette reported.

Meanwhile, emergency personnel told police they didn't think the child was capable of putting the wipes down his own throat, mainly due to the number of wipes found and how tightly they were packed together, the Gazette reported.

Medical personnel also found bruising on the child's chest and neck that appeared to come from an adult hand, according to the Gazette.

Cooley was arraigned in Bedford County Central Court on Wednesday. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 8.