Woman arrested in abuse of child

A 25-year-old woman was arrested for investigation of second-degree child abuse after police say she tied up her son and sprayed him with hot water.

Monday night's incident happened the same day the mother appeared in court over a child neglect charge.

The boy, 6, suffered severe burns on his mouth, neck and face. His mother tied his hands and feet, threw the boy in the shower and doused him with "extremely hot water," Salt Lake police detective Kevin Joiner said.

Police were called to the apartment just before 10 p.m. Monday after they received an anonymous call of suspicious activity near 1200 West and 400 South. The caller apparently heard something coming from the apartment that raised his concern, Joiner said.

Investigators found the boy in critical condition with burns and experiencing difficulty breathing. He was taken to a hospital and later upgraded to serious condition.

Doctors at the hospital also found other unrelated cuts and bruising on the boy's body, Joiner said. It was unknown Tuesday how old the injuries were or if they were the result of abuse.

The boy's mother, Raelynn Lee Ortiz, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail shortly after being interviewed by police.

The Division of Child and Family Services on Tuesday took custody of the boy's 8-year-old sister and 10-year-old brother. They were not injured and were originally placed with the children's stepfather, but DCFS spokeswoman Carol Sisco said he was unable at the time to take care of that many children.

The state also took custody of the young boy who was burned, even though he was still in the hospital Tuesday.

"It looks like the little boy will recover," Sisco said. "It's horrifying when any child is hurt like that. Our first thought is what can we do to make sure other kids are OK."

Earlier Monday, Ortiz was in juvenile court answering to a child neglect charge stemming from an earlier incident.

In May, Ortiz and her children were involved in an accident in which her car was hit by a drunken driver, Sisco said. While she was being checked out by a doctor, she tested positive for drugs, Sisco said.

After efforts to work with Ortiz failed, Sisco said the state filed a petition with the court requesting DCFS be allowed to provide services to help the woman. The court hearing on that request was Monday.

In 2002, DCFS investigated Ortiz on a child-neglect case. In that incident, her 8-month-old child was physically and medically neglected, Sisco said. Ortiz ultimately gave up permanent custody of that child to a relative.

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com