A nurse from Minnesota is facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing her foster son on April 24. A criminal complaint stated that Kellie Jo Anderson arrived at Sanford Emergency Department in Fargo on April 23 with a boy who appeared blue and lifeless and had bruising to his face and head.
The doctor who attended to the boy noted that his core temperature was 82 degrees, suggesting that he died approximately 40 minutes before their arrival at the hospital.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office found that the victim had internal injuries. Aside from that, there are also physical injuries to his face, head, legs, arms, chest, back, hand, foot, and penis. His preliminary cause of death was ruled as homicide by probable asphyxia and blunt force trauma.
The suspect's alibi
The 35-year-old suspect allegedly told authorities that she believed her foster son had a seizure, prompting her to take him to the hospital. Anderson also claimed that the boy harms himself and that he recently threw himself from the bath to the toilet, according to Bring Me the News Minnesota.
Anderson's husband, who reportedly was at work when the alleged murder happened, said that the boy had no history of self-harm or seizures. He also stated that the boy had no marks or injuries when he bathed him the night before.
Reports reveal that Anderson said the boy was babbling and had labored breathing while they were on their way to the hospital. She also recounted pulling over a few blocks from the hospital because the child has stopped babbling and did not have a pulse.
Anderson also said that she was about to perform CPR on the boy but she detected a faint pulse so she got back in the car and continued to drive to the emergency room. The name and the age of the victim were not released by authorities. Anderson is said to have admitted that she and her husband were reconsidering adopting the child. The reports have indicated that the couple had the boy for about a year already.
Anderson is still in custody and the Minnesota Department of Human Services confirmed to KFGO that they temporarily suspended her license to provide foster care.
The foster care system in America
There are more than 430,000 children in foster care in the United States. In 2018, more than 600,000 children spent time in foster care. Children remain in state care for two years and 6% of children in foster care have stayed in the system for five or more years.
Due to the overwhelmed system, not all children can get the focus and attention that they need. There are abusive foster care parents who slip through the cracks of the system. Each week, around 60,000 children in the United States are reported as neglected or abused, with more than 900,000 confirmed abuse victims since 2004. About 520,000 of those children end up in foster care, doubling the number 25 years ago.
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