A recent medical examiner’s report reveals that a toddler found dead in his River Heights home in September had been deceased for at least 10 days.
The child’s mother, 42-year-old Heidi Rutchey, came to Logan Regional Hospital seeking medical treatment on the afternoon of Sept. 4. While treating Rutchey, members of the hospital staff learned of the toddler. Concerned for the well-being of the child, the staff notified law enforcement authorities.
The Cache County Sheriff’s deputies found the child, Eli Rutchey, dead shortly after 2:30 p.m. at Rutchy's River Heights apartment.
Cache County Attorney James Swink told the Herald Journal Friday that the body was badly decomposed and investigators are still gathering facts about what happened.
Though the relative time of death has been determined, it could be weeks before authorities decide what charges may be, as the exact cause of death has still not been determined.
Taylor Halversen is a senior at Utah State University, majoring in Communication Studies and Liberal Arts. She's from Sandy, Utah and is interested in discovering new and random things to try and attempting to live life wholly and healthily. She loves music and climbing anything from trees to mountains.