Wisconsin Girl, 10, Charged With Murder In Baby’s Death

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI — A 10-year-old Wisconsin girl facing first-degree murder charges in the death of a 6-month-old at an in-home daycare run by her foster family said she didn’t intend to kill the infant, but stomped on his head to stop him from crying after she dropped him, Chippewa County investigators said.

The girl, who hasn’t been identified because she is a juvenile, appeared earlier this week in Chippewa County Circuit Court, where a judge set her cash bond at $50,000. Wisconsin law requires that first-degree intentional homicide charges must initially be brought in adult court if the accused is 10 or older.

She appeared in court in handcuffs and wearing a leather restraint around her waist. As Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell described the charges, the girl buried her head in her mother’s arms and sobbed, according to media reports.

First responders arrived at the licensed day care in Tilden, located near Chippewa Falls in northern Wisconsin, on Oct. 30, to find the baby unresponsive and bleeding from the head, authorities said. The infant was rushed to a hospital in Chippewa Falls, then flown to the Gillette Children’s Special Healthcare hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he died on Nov. 1.

A doctor who alerted investigators to the situation said he didn’t think the baby’s death was accidental, Chippewa County Sheriff James Kowalczyk told television station WEAU. According to that report, the infant suffered multiple skull fractures consistent with heavy force and pressure.

The daycare provider, Amber Sweeny, told investigators that she and other children in her care — two 2-year-olds, two 6-year-olds and a 10-year-old — were in and out of the house several times on the afternoon of Oct. 30 while the infant slept. She said she had asked the other children to stay out of the house while the baby napped, but the 10-year-old went back inside and was alone with the baby, the WEAU report said.

In an interview with investigators, the girl admitted her involvement and said she dropped the baby and his head hit a footstool, the sheriff said. She panicked and began stomping on his head to stop him from crying, the girl said, according to Kowalczyk.

The girl was removed from her biological parents’ home in September for reasons that haven’t been disclosed and placed in foster care. They were in court for her initial hearing.

Defense attorney Kirby Harless asked for a lower bond, saying there’s no reason to believe she won’t show up for future court dates.

“She would like to return home, and given her age, that may be appropriate,” Harless said.

The baby’s death occurred during what was a terrible week in Chippewa County. On Nov. 3, three Girl Scouts were killed when a pickup swerved off the highway and struck them while they were picking up trash along a highway as part of a public service project. An adult chaperone, the mother of one of the girls, was also killed.

The driver of the pickup, 21-year-old Colton Treu of Chippewa Falls, faces 11 criminal counts in the hit-and-run deaths. He initially fled, but turned himself into authorities later that afternoon.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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