A 36-year-old Utah mother, Lizbeth Hurtado-Breton, is accused of torturing her 4-month-old daughter with hot steam. Allegedly, the torture stemmed from Hurtado-Breton’s desire for a boy instead of a girl.
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According to a police booking affidavit obtained by KSL, the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 30. At the time, the girl had arrived at Primary Children’s Hospital with severe burns to her face. Furthermore, the 4-month-old was also suffering from multiple bone fractures and a brain bleed, among other injuries.
Local police responded to the hospital and interviewed the girl’s father. He allegedly told officers that Hurtado-Breton had held the girl over hot steam. Disturbingly, while wiping her face with a napkin, the mother had “wiped off skin,” the affidavit detailed.
The father would then describe multiple instances in which Hurtado-Breton allegedly abused their infant girl. According to him, he once found the girl with tape covering her mouth. When asked about it, Hurtado-Breton said at the time that “she would not stop crying,” the affidavit alleged.
On other occasions, Hurtado-Breton allegedly taped her daughter’s hands behind her back “so the baby would eat,” and even shoved a baby bottle down her face, choking her with milk. According to police, the father provided video evidence of the aforementioned instances of alleged abuse.
The father told the police officers that Hurtado-Breton “wished the baby would have been a boy,” adding that he believed that was the reason for the alleged abusive treatment toward the 4-month-old.
Suspect Questioned, Charged
Hurtado-Breton was then questioned by the police. She allegedly explained to police officers that she believed she had held the girl over a “humidifier” for too long, in an attempt to relieve the infant’s congestion. The “humidifier” in question was, actually, a cooking pot, police said.
As reported by KUTV, Hurtado-Breton also said that she had taped her daughter’s mouth to keep her pacifier in place, and taped her arms to get her to eat, court documents said.
When asked about the child’s other injuries, she allegedly told the police that she “couldn’t remember.”
Lizbeth Hurtado-Breton was arrested and charged with child torture and aggravated child abuse. She was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.