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Sam Penrod ReportingProsecutors have filed charges in the death of a baby boy; they name the babysitter who was supposed to be taking care of him.
The baby died in January, and it didn't take long before doctors were suspicious. Since then, authorities have been investigating, and today prosecutors filed murder charges.
Certainly this is just devastating for the baby's family, to lose the little boy to shaken baby syndrome. The babysitter accused of causing the baby's death has two children of her own, and now she faces first degree murder charges.
Brandon Zamora was just five months old when his life was ended by what police say is a case of shaken baby syndrome. It was at a Provo apartment where the baby's mother left Brandon in the care of a babysitter, but in less than 90 minutes, something terrible happened.
Capt. Rick Healey, Provo Police Dept. "The mother dropped the baby off at somewhere around 11:30 and received a call at 12:52."
During the 9-1-1 call, the babysitter 24-year old Daniella Ruiz, asked for an ambulance.
Capt. Rick Healey, Provo Police Dept. "She was calling to tell us the baby didn't look well and wasn't breathing."
The baby was taken to Primary Children's hospital with critical injuries. Sadly, the next day, Brandon Zamora passed away.
Capt. Rick Healey, Provo Police Dept. "The medical examiner indicates that it is a shaken baby type injury."
Detectives won't give specifics about what happened in the apartment, but their evidence led prosecutors to file murder charges against Ruiz.
Capt. Rick Healey, Provo Police Dept. "If a baby is shaken severely, the blood vessels break and the trauma can lead to death."
Ruiz, who has two young children of her own, has already lost custody of them by the state's Child and Family Services.
Capt. Rick Healey, Provo Police Dept. "At this point, any children she is going to be seeing are her own and it's a supervised visit. There isn't any anticipation she is a danger to the community or a flight risk."
And that is why Police say Ruiz has not been arrested, because she is not considered to be dangerous. She has been given a summons to appear in court on these charges on May 5th.
