Baby-sitter charged in death of 5-month-old

PROVO — A 24-year-old baby sitter has been charged with murder for what police believe is a shaken-baby death of a 5-month-old Provo child.

Daniella Ruiz of Provo was charged Wednesday with first-degree felony murder with an included charge of second-degree felony child abuse homicide in connection with the January death of Brandon Zamora, according to documents filed in 4th District Court.

"At this point, the medical examination indicates a shaken-baby type of injury," Provo Police Capt. Rick Healey said.

On January 4, the child's parents dropped the baby off at Ruiz's Provo apartment around noon. About an hour later, Ruiz called police to report that the baby didn't look well and wasn't breathing.

Paramedics responded and started CPR then took the baby to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Healey said.

The baby was soon after taken to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where doctors believed the baby had suffered some type of brain injury, Healey said. The baby died the next day.

Based on the comments from the doctors and medical examiners as well as other interviews and evidence, the Utah County Attorney's Office filed charges and presented Ruiz with a summons to appear in court on May 5. She was not arrested because police say they aren't worried about a repeat offense.

"At this point, there's no reason to believe she'd be a danger to anybody," Healey said.

As a precaution, Ruiz's two children have been taken into state custody by the Division of Child and Family Services and Ruiz is only permitted supervised visits, Healey said.

The deceased child's parents are devastated, Healey said, and are not suspected of any wrongdoing.

The tragic situation also serves as a reminder that shaking a baby is never OK, Healey said.

"Shaken babies die all the time throughout the country," Healey said. "We would encourage anyone who thinks of shaking a baby as discipline or a way to make them stop crying to reconsider that and absolutely not shake babies."

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