Deseret News | Kin defend mother of baby who died after sitter's care

Reader comments
Kin defend mother of baby who died after sitter's care

Lauren | 3:33 p.m. Oct. 9, 2009

The girlfriend is also having a rough time. She has lost her best friend and the man she loves all because of one second. She has been chased by reporters and not able to return to work or her home. These are all really good people and this is a devastating thing that has happened. I pray for all of them but as for the mother this little boy was her world and she was a great mother.

Anonymous | 7:10 p.m. Oct. 9, 2009

"The baby was shaken so hard, he had ruptured arteries on the neck. He had to have done something more brutal."

I may be sick now.

New Grandma | 12:36 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

My heart is breaking for the family of little Milo. Being a mother and now a Grandma of 4 I can not being to understand the trauma that this family is going through. My prayer and thought are with them at this time.

Comments continue below

so sad | 12:56 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

He's adorable. For someone to hurt a child, let alone kill them, is really not thinking straight.

My heart goes out to Milo's mom.

Anonymous | 3:59 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Whatever, Lauren.

Circumstantail so far. | 5:03 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

So why hasn't the girlfriend of Billet being suspect too? So far their hasn't been anything to indicate that this guy was abusive or mistreating the baby. Maybe the baby had these head injuries before the baby was dropped off.

I also wonder about an annurism, ruptured blood vessel, that could have mislead the doctors to the wrong conclusions. An annurism can go on for hours or days before it is detected, I have had friends suffer with them for days before they died and never suspected it.

There are too many unanswered questions to pass judgment at this time. We all know how incompetent prosecutors and doctors are to take their statements on blind faith. And why is the prosecutor using the news media to prosecute and pass judgment to the press before a trial is even started? They always use public outrage to sway public opinion all the time.

Old Reporter | 6:38 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

This story is so poorly written that it is tough to follow. How about saying Who the mother is, Who the girlfriend is, Where it happened, Why the child was dropped off at 3:30 in the morning, What the relationship between the defendant and the mother was, etc, etc, etc.

This is such a heartbreaking situation; a baby, a single mother, busy adults, tempers, anger, abuse, sorrow, death, arrest. My heart goes out to the mother and her family, as well as the defendant's family.

My heart does not go out to the reporter who botched up the gathering of information and the writing of this article.

Old Reporter Again | 6:40 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

This story also has a ridiculous headline.

FactUt | 7:42 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Some people should just not have kids!!!

the second to last paragraph... | 7:49 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

"Milo's family is donating the infant's organs. Doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center have told the family the organs are expected to save the lives of six other children, Westbrook said."

Bless you for this.

Lou | 7:51 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Please don't judge until all the facts are straight!! I have a nephew who was playing with his girlfriend's baby & dropped him because the baby slipped out of his arms. He was charged with murder but it was a stupid accident!! So please wait for all the facts before judging but it's not our place to judge anyway!!! God bless the mom & all those involved!!

"Good people"? | 9:00 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

I'm sorry for the mother who lost her child, and for the girlfriend whose boyfriend killed a baby.

BUT...we have two sisters, both unmarried mothers and at least three children between them.

Where is THEIR support system? If the "kin" can defend the mother now, where were they when she neede child care?
Where were these "kin" when these girls were making choices that led to them being unwed mothers?

And, most importantly, how long had Billette been in town...and did that girlfriend come with him, or was this just another short-term link-up.

Oh yeah. One more thing: how many of these young people finished school, used birth control, and tried to make lives for themselves BEFORE pregnancy "solved" everything.

fed up | 9:13 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Same old story.......Bio Mom turns child over to boyfriend (who usually has no job), child gets injured and/or dies. 'One second' did not determine this baby's fate. I know mothers who work and go to school out of necessity, but still manage to work out their schedules (with their husbands) to be mothers during the day. This loss is certainly devastating to the mom, and I am sorry for her. However, it is more devasting to the children who endure this torture! There are ways to learn how to be a good parent, but it never hurts to read the paper, or watch tv news to learn what 'not to do'.

tigerlily | 9:24 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

TO CIRCUMSTANTIAL: did you not read where it said that the doctor said the childs head had struck somerhing hard

Empathy, Please | 10:16 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

This is a tragic incident and so far, we know very few of the facts. Instead of flinging accusations and snide remarks around, let's show some compassion for the mother's devastating loss and treasure every moment with our own children.

Empathy? | 10:57 a.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Our empathy should be with the dead child, NOT the mother who made a series of bad choices that led of to this death.

One child out of wedlock? That used to be called "an accident".
Two? That's a lifestyle choice.

Anonymous | 12:13 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

"Our empathy should be with the dead child, NOT the mother who made a series of bad choices that led of to this death.

One child out of wedlock? That used to be called "an accident".
Two? That's a lifestyle choice."

How dare you say such a thing! You have no idea what you are talking about. 1) this was her first and only child. 2) She lives with her sister who has two children whom both were born in wedlock, but unfortunately they are now divorced. 3) We all make mistakes in our lives and you are no exception to that rule. Who are you to say that we should withhold compassion and empathy from that poor mom who lost her child! I can not even imagine the pain she is feeling right now and I assume,because of your ignorant comment, that neither can you.

My heart goes out to the mother and anyone else who has lost a loved one. I pray that you will find comfort and peace in these trying times.

TC | 12:29 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

In regard to the "Empathy?" comment.

How dare you say such a thing! Your ignorance is offending. 1) This was her first and only child. 2) She lives with her sister who has two children who were born in wedlock but she is now divorced. 3)We all have made mistakes in our lives and you are no exception to the rule.

Who are you to say we should withhold compassion and empathy from that dear mother who has lost her child? Have you never needed compassion or forgiveness? My heart goes out to her and anyone else who has lost someone that they have loved.

I pray that the mother will be able to find peace and comfort as she deals with this tragedy.

Liz | 2:16 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Also in regard to the "Empathy?" and the other horrible people with their rude comments.

How dare you people say such hateful things? This is a woman who thought she would never be able to have kids; then a blessing, baby Milo came along. She has cherished and loved him since the moment she found out she was pregnant. I have never ever seen a mother who has loved her baby more and taken such good care of their little one than her. She works graveyards (hence the 3:30 timeframe) goes to school part of the day, so they can spend the rest of their waking moments together making memories. She was a fantastic mother. Milo was very lucky to have someone like her and her to have someone like him. They were a blessing for each other.

To "Empathy?" | 2:20 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Are you a human?

Anonymous | 2:27 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Who cares if the children were born out of wedlock? If they are well taken care of, what does that matter? I feel so terrible for the mother. This story is a little shady right now so it is hard to form an opinion. I hope whoever did this to that poor little baby gets their karma.

Susan | 2:28 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

It is difficult not to make assumptions when anything this terrible happens, but I beg you to withhold judgment. Doctors say symptoms can have only one cause, and they say the perpetrator has to be the last person with the child, but both are unproved assumptions and opinions, not facts. Unfortunately, because they say that, police accuse the last person with the baby and may not investigate other possibilities. Hundreds of people who have been accused of shaking babies have perfect histories and character, pass polygraphs, refuse to plea bargain, and maintain their innocence even AFTER conviction, even though that means no parole. I think there is a lot that is not known about what causes the symptoms. Too many of these cases have too much in common. May the tragedy of the infant's death not be compounded by the conviction of an innocent person. Not that he IS innocent. I don't know. I just know that doctors and police have jumped to that conclusion many times and it was later found out the baby suffered from a congenital condition or was abused by someone who was not the last person.

Erica | 2:31 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

I agree with Anonymous.

I also think it's a terrific thing that she and her sister are sticking together.

What a tragedy.

hello | 2:56 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

What ever happened to "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?" That, along with the fact that we are not the judges for these people here on earth, or after we die, should be enough for you people to shut up. Bashing is not appropriate here.

Alyssa | 4:36 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Milo was a gift from heaven who came to this earth for a short time, but he touched the lives of everyone in our family in a very special way.

Milo was the happiest baby, and brought joy to everyone around him. He changed the life of his mother and made her an even better person than she already is. Her life revolved around making a better life for her and her beautiful baby boy. Now that this tragedy has happened, we can only pray that she may have the strength to live each day missing her only baby boy, whom will be smiling down on her each day from Heaven.

I don't understand how people who know nothing of the truth can make such horrible comments. This comment board should be full of remarks of sympathy and sorrow for something tragic that has happened.

If people can't come up with positive things to say why put them on here? Why be responsible for hurting someone even more when they are already down? I know people have questions because information presented by media is OFTEN MISLEADING, however, why say hurtful things?

Jenny | 6:02 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Milo was a beautiful baby. My heart breaks for his Mom and the extended family. This is so sad and I am so sorry they are going through this.

cristy brown | 8:34 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

i do not know you but my heart goes out to the mom and family of this cute looking baby boy and god be with you all

Cherish | 10:27 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

If any of the family is reading this, my heart goes out to you and I'm so sorry for your loss. What a little angel...

ksmrcl | 11:11 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

Such a sad situation? Does the biological father know about the death of his son?

anonymous | 11:21 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009

my heart goes out to the mother and family of this little boy

please people | 1:24 a.m. Oct. 11, 2009

You have no right to judge about "lifestyle choices". As it has been stated, this is a horrible loss of life. It is so easy to direct blame and hatred to try to feel better. Why not just empathize with the true human tragedy that has occurred. We dont obviously know all of the details, and if anyone has a heart they can imagine the pain everyone involved is going through. Why not just say a prayer for them?

Tragedy | 3:03 p.m. Oct. 11, 2009

I also know the people involved and they are all good people. The mother is such a beautiful person that cares deeply about other people. She was a wonderful mother, and she worked hard to give Milo everything. Milo of course was a beautiful baby boy that was deeply loved and will be missed. The girlfriend is one of the best people you could ever know. I pray that both of them get through this. I know their friendship will never be the same after this tragedy, but I hope they can both find some peace. Jared was always great with Milo, and that is why the mother trusted him. He met Milo at the hospital right after he was born. Also Jared's mother is dying of cancer and that is why they were moving. Now she is heartbroken and dying alone. We still don't know what exactly happened, so we should wait to see what the medical examiner finds.

Anonymous | 3:26 p.m. Oct. 11, 2009

just a quick glance at Milo's picture will tell you he was happy, cared for and loved--and he knew it. children who are neglected or abused do not have that light in their eyes. Quit judging the mother, she was being a mother. the only fault lies with the person who caused his death.

Bryan B | 11:12 a.m. Oct. 12, 2009

I think everyone that reads this should go to Wells Fargo and donate for the Baby Milo Memorial Fund.

anonymous | 12:28 p.m. Oct. 15, 2009

I have known Jared and his family since he was little- My heart goes out to them- Unitl the FACTS are known, we have no right to judge from a poorly written news article-My heart also goes out to the family of Milo, this precious child will be missed and his tragic death will always haunt those who knew him. We all have to make decissions, based on circumstance beyond our control. not all turn out to be right.This mother was doing what she thought was right -how can anyone judge not knowing her!

anonymous | 1:32 p.m. Oct. 16, 2009

This is terrible news, when I first heard this, I felt like I was going to puke, then of course came the ??'s The Dr's have been wrong, they should not say things like that to the media! The media should stay out of it! These poor people, the mother, Jared and the girlfreind. This is the poorest writing I have ever seen of any reporter. Let's get the facts BEFORE we judge!!!!! Let's pray and help instead of judging.

Anonymous | 12:13 a.m. Nov. 4, 2009

This is just a horrible thing that has happened! When I first heard the news I also thought I was going to puke.There is absoultly NO REASON for anyone at all to say anything rude about the mother in this situtuon, Try putting yourself in her shoes. I hung out with Jared in high school quite often and feel that something like this is out of character for him to do. But really lets get the facts before we all judge. My heart goes out to the mother of this baby!!! I've been praying for the family.

MrsGriff | 6:51 p.m. Nov. 11, 2009

My thoughts go out to Jared and his family, including his girlfriend, Cousins or not, I love you guys ! My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I am so sorry that this tragic mistake happened, especially in light of current family situations. I love you guys !

Baby Milo's family, this is a tragic event, take your grief in stride, and one day you will be able to see what a blessing your little angel was, and will continue to be ! You will always have sweet innocence looking out for you from above !

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