MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Charges were upgraded Monday against a South Florida woman whose 1-year-old son died last month after burns on his body allegedly went untreated.
Christina Hurt, 35, is now charged with second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of Ethan Coley.
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According to an arrest report, Hurt told police that she set her son in an infant chair while she walked outside her home to throw away some trash. When she returned, she said she found her 10-year-old daughter holding the boy, who was screaming.
Police said Hurt claimed that her daughter had been attempting to bathe the boy when his 4-year-old brother made the water in the bathtub extremely hot, causing the 1-year-old to suffer severe burns from the middle of his torso to his toes.
Instead of seeking medical treatment for her son, Hurt called several friends "to seek advice and remedies on treating burn injuries," the report said.
The boy vomited several times throughout the evening, prompting Hurt to give him Tylenol and juice before she went to sleep, according to the report.
Police said Hurt took Ethan to a friend's home the next day for help, but the boy became unresponsive after they placed him on a mattress in the front yard.
A woman who was outside called 911, authorities said.
Witnesses told police that the boy was lethargic and had shallow breathing when he arrived at the home, but they said Hurt "adamantly refused" to seek medical attention for him.
Police later learned that Hurt had been previously investigated by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
DCF officials said Hurt's family was under court supervision at the time of her child's death.
According to the Miami Herald, prosecutors said state child welfare officials first removed Hurt's five other children in 2013 after the children's paternal grandfather claimed that kids were hurting themselves while being left alone and unsupervised.
Hurt was also arrested in 2014 after her then 3-year-old daughter was dropped off at day care with a gash on her head.
The girl was taken to a hospital where doctors determined that she had a fractured skull. Police said the girl claimed that her mother had pushed her off a bed, which Hurt denied.
Miami-Dade County court records show that Hunt temporarily lost custody of her children after her arrest. Prosecutors agreed to a two-year probation period that ended March 24, 2016.