Herriman woman charged with abusing foster child

A Herriman woman was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated child abuse involving an infant boy in her care.

A Herriman woman was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated child abuse involving an infant boy in her care. (Yukai Peng, Deseret News)


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HERRIMAN — A Herriman woman was charged Wednesday with abusing an infant boy.

Heather Danielle Breitenstein, 45, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony.

On Jan. 4, 2023, Breitenstein took a 5-month-old boy, described as her foster child, to Primary Children's Hospital "and expressed concern he had a seizure, according to charging documents.

Breitenstein claimed the boy was "'arching and flailing' when she picked him up from the crib, causing him to hit his face on the railing," the charges state.

But a doctor observed other injuries on the boy and determined his "bruising was not consistent with Breitenstein's report. (The doctor) further concluded (the boy's) injuries are concerning for inflicted trauma," according to the charges.

Prosecutors say the boy was previously taken to the children's hospital on Dec. 18, 2022, allegedly for seizures. Doctors, however, said the boy "was monitored for 12 hours without evidence of seizure activity," the charges state.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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