TACOMA, Wash. (TND) — A pregnant woman has been charged with murder after her 3-year-old son was found dead and “cold to the touch” inside an apartment, Sunday evening, and the details are chilling.
Ivey Lewis, 25, pleaded not guilty to a count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
Police in Tacoma, Wash., said officers went to the apartment after getting a report of an unresponsive child from a friend of the mother who went there to “hang out” after the Super Bowl. Officers said he told them Lewis thought something was wrong with her son.
Graphic warning: Readers may find the following information disturbing.
Court documents said the 911 caller reported the toddler on the bedroom floor, wrapped in a blanket, “not responsive and appeared cold to the touch.” Officers found him on his back in bed.
Lewis’ other son — a one year old — was also in the bedroom, sitting on the bed next to his brother’s body, according to the documents.
Officers tried CPR, but “it was quickly obvious” the child could not be revived. Court documents said he was “very stiff” and “there was no pulse.” He was declared dead at the scene.
Officers trying to treat him noted multiple bruises on his face “appeared to be fresh.” Court documents also said his face was discolored and there were “obvious burn marks” and cuts.
They reported injuries including “small scabs to his midsection,” trauma to the front of his head, and swelling above the eyebrow.
The court paperwork said other marks on his body “appeared consistent with being struck with an object,” with multiple similar injuries of different colors and shades “indicating the injuries were likely inflicted at different times."Also, court documents showed there were injuries to the boy’s chest, sides, arms, and legs “consistent with being struck with an object.”
Plus, several small marks on his chest “appeared to coincide with an electronic shock device (taser) located on the kitchen table,” according to court documents.
Police said Lewis told them her son had run into the wall “multiple times” and hit his head recently, and “he did that regularly.”
They also said she told them her son had been sleeping next to the living room heater when she found him unresponsive. Lewis said she picked him up and moved him into the bedroom before the officers arrived.
Officers noted the living room heater was “on maximum” when they arrived and “the apartment was so hot that one of the officers reported that it was difficult to breathe inside.”
Officers also noted the living area and kitchen were dirty and “did not appear to be well kept.”
During a later interview, Lewis told investigators she was under Child Protective Services supervision. Court documents showed the victim spent considerable time in foster care, from about 10 months old until about six months ago.
Lewis denied using any narcotics other than marijuana but later admitted to using methamphetamine several days before her son was found.
The baby brother was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and reportedly found to have methamphetamine in his system.
The state has filed an aggravated factor of deliberate cruelty due to the number, type and severity of the victim’s injuries," a Pierce County prosecutor said in court. "These injuries show the defendant is a danger to others, particularly her surviving one-year old child who likely had methamphetamine in his system at the time.Court documents said the state will “likely file an additional charge” against Lewis when the state confirms the baby had methamphetamine in his system.
A judge set bail at $2 million and said Lewis cannot have any contact with her surviving child. She is in custody while pregnant with her third child.
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