Woman arrested in connection with homicide of young child in Utah, police say

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — A woman was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of a young child in West Valley City, police said.

Nicole Lester, 29, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, West Valley police tweeted.

Police received a call about 5 a.m. Tuesday that a woman who lives in the area had knocked on a neighbor’s door and reported that she killed her 4-year-old daughter, according to West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku.

Police responded to 4502 Losee Drive and found the woman sitting on the porch of her home, and she was taken into custody, Vainuku said. They then found a young child dead in the basement of the woman’s home, she said.

Investigators have not yet confirmed the age of the child or the relationship of the child and the woman, she added. The neighbor reported that information to police in the initial call.

A 6-year-old boy, who is the son of the woman who was taken into custody, was asleep on the main floor of the home and is safe, Vainuku said.

Police cleared the scene, secured it and then exited the home, Vainuku added. As of 7:45 a.m., investigators were working to obtain a search warrant for the home.

The home is owned by that woman’s mother, and police are hoping to interview her to see if there was anything that led up to Tuesday’s events, she said.

The woman who owns the home was not at the house on Tuesday morning, but she returned to the home and took custody of the 6-year-old boy, according to Vainuku.

“It’s hard to even comprehend something like this,” Vainuku said. “This is something that’s extremely difficult.”