Police believe Idaho Falls mother beat, strangled and bit toddler
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IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls woman was arrested Monday after police found a 2-year-old boy severely abused with bite marks on his body.
Police learned the 2-year-old boy was covered in bruises, scrapes and bite marks at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Heather Hillock, 28, the boy’s mother, is charged with felony injury child for allegedly causing the injuries.
An officer writes in his report that when he confronted Hillock about the injuries, she said the child “harms himself.” Hillock reportedly told the officer the boy throws himself into a dresser, off a highchair and down the stairs. She said that around 3 a.m., the boy fell on some concrete steps, scraped his face and hit his head. After some time, the boy was “not acting right,” so she took the boy to a friend’s house.
Hillock told police the boy began making “weird noises” on the way, prompting her to turn around and find the boy having a seizure. She said she got scared, called 911 and then an ambulance took the boy to EIRMC.
“While speaking with Heather, she admitted that the bruising on (the boy’s) legs and buttocks was due to her spanking him,” the officer writes. “Heather said that she only ever spanked him with her hands and never any other objects.”
Police did not believe Hillock’s story, arrested her and took her to the Bonneville County Jail. She later told officers she lied about what happened to the boy, according to court documents.
Court documents report Hillock said she pinned the boy in the backseat of the car after he was disrespectful to her friend. She said she covered the boys mouth and nose, stopping his ability to breathe for about 30 seconds. Hillock told officers the boy became unconscious after the incident.
“After this, (the friend) pulled him out of the vehicle and started CPR,” the probable cause reads. “Heather said she left and then called 911.”
Hillock said the bite marks came from her biting the child to stop him from biting her.
Officers reviewed the condition of the home where Hillock and the boy lived, calling it “quite unsafe for children,” and lacking working plumbing.
If convicted, Hillock could spend up to 10 years in prison. She remains in the Bonneville County Jail on a $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 24.
The child is in the custody of Child Protective Services.