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LAYTON — A Layton woman was charged Thursday with beating her 3-year-old daughter with a belt and then trying to cover up her bruises.
Jessica Nichole Garza, 25, is charged in 2nd District Court with child abuse, a third-degree felony.
The incident was first reported in August of 2017 when a witness noticed bruises on Garza's young daughter.
"The witness stated that someone had put make-up on the child to conceal the bruises," according to charging documents.
The girl was taken into protective custody and then to a nurse for an examination.
"The child had numerous bruises, including bruising on both sides of her forehead, under her left eye, on the bridge of her nose, on both of her cheeks, and on both sides of her neck. She also had numerous bruises on her back, including linear bruising consistent with being hit with a belt," the charges state.
"The nurse concluded that the sheer number of bruises on the child is 'alarming.' She also noted that 'there are multiple bruises over vulnerable locations such as the head, face, neck and back that rarely injure by accident. These appear to be inflicted most assuredly by an adult.'"
Charging documents do not indicate why charges were filed nearly a year after the original incident was reported.
