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(KSL News) A Tooele woman has been charged with murdering her 14-month-old son, and her husband has been arrested on suspicion of abusing another child.
Court documents say 33-year-old Kimberly Emelyantsev was in her home with her son, Nicoli, shortly before the baby suffered a severe blow on his head. The medical examiner found the mother's explanation did not match the trauma that killed the boy.
Nicoli was adopted and had Down syndrome. He'd only been with the Tooele family for a few weeks.
The husband, Fyodor Emelyantsev, is also facing charges of child abuse. He's being held in the Tooele County Jail on suspicion of abusing their 4-year-old, who also was adopted from Russia. That child is at Primary Children's Medical Center being treated for malnutrition.
The couple have three other young children that relatives are caring for.
There is never any excuse for abusing a child, but for those times when things get tough, there is help. The Family Support Center in Midvale has been helping families for years.
It's a place where moms and dads can drop off their children in the event of an emergency or crisis, or even if they recognize they're too stressed out to handle their child at that moment.
Bonnie Peters, with The Family Support Center, says, "Our mission is to protect children, strengthen families and prevent child abuse."
We spoke to one mother who said she'd never hurt her child, but there are times when she just needs to get away. "Sometimes as parents it can get overwhelming, especially like single parents, where you just need a break or you need to just have a night to yourself," Amy Hines said.
Children under the age of 9 can be left at the center for up to 72 hours.
