Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VERNAL — A Fort Duchesne woman has been charged with causing second-degree burns on her 8-month-old son and not seeking any medical treatment.
Gracelynn Rae Yazzie, 21, is charged in Uintah County's 8th Distinct Court with child abuse, inflicting serious injury, a second-degree felony.
On Jan. 8, the boy's grandmother took him to Ashley Regional Medical Center emergency room. Doctors then called police suspecting child abuse, according to a pair of search warrant affidavits unsealed over the weekend.
"I observed three burns on the child — two burns to the leg and one severe burn to the ankle heal area," the officer wrote in the warrants.
The grandmother told police that according to Yazzie, another child had pulled a flat iron off a counter three days earlier, and it landed on the 8-month-old. A doctor, however, after examining the boy's injuries told detectives "it was his opinion that this was inconsistent with an accident and he believed it to be intentional," according to the warrants.
Yazzie did not accompany her son and his grandmother to the hospital.
"I asked where the mother was and the family advised that she was at home. They were initially told by the mother that she had reported it to (Division of Child and Family Services) and told them not to call anyone. The family insisted that the baby be taken to the ER, and the mother allowed them to take the child but refused to go with them," the officer wrote in the affidavits.
When police went to Yazzie's home and interviewed her, they asked why she didn't take her son to the hospital. She claimed she did not have a way to get there, the warrants state. When asked why she didn't call 911, Yazzie said her cellphone only receives calls but can't call out.
"After a full examination of the child, medical personnel discovered a broken rib and intracranial bleeding," prosecutors also noted in charging documents.
Yazzie's next scheduled court hearing is Feb. 7.
