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LOGAN — A Cache County mother has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a reduced charge in the death of her 2-year-old son in 2013.
Originally charged with murder in her son's death, Heidi Marie Rutchey, 46, admitted Monday to child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony. At sentencing on Aug. 14, Rutchey faces the potential of at least one and up to 15 years in prison.
In September 2013, police who went to check on 2-year-old Eli Rutchey after his mother showed up at a Logan Hospital found the boy dead on the bathroom floor. The mother and son lived alone in the River Heights home.
Rutchey had taken pills and gone to the hospital where she told medical staff she was a "baby killer" and had tried to suffocate her son, according to court documents.
After her arrest, Rutchey was found incompetent to face the charges against her. After treatment at the Utah State Hospital, it was determined in November that Rutchey is now competent, or capable of understanding the charges against her and communicating with her attorney to help with her defense in court.
In exchange for Rutchey's guilty but mentally ill plea, prosecutors agreed to reduce the first-degree felony charge. They are recommending she receive credit for the three years she has been in custody since her arrest.
