3 days ago
Moorhead mother charged with murder for death of 20-month-old boy
The Brief
Murder charges have been filed against a woman for the May 15 death of her 20-month-old son.
Valerie Connue Zamora, 32, of Moorhead, is charged with second-degree murder without intent after police found bruises all over the boy's body.
An autopsy lists the manner of death as a homicide caused by blunt force injuries.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman is charged with the death of her son after authorities found injuries and signs of neglect on the boy's body.
Valerie Connue Zamora, 32, of Moorhead, is charged with second-degree murder without intent after the child died at a hospital on May 15.
Big picture view
Law enforcement responded to the Sanford Medical Center just after 11:20 p.m. on May 15 after the Cass County Coroner informed them that a child who died there had bruising after being brought to the hospital by his mother. The child was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m. after hospital staff failed to save the child, according to the criminal complaint.
Charging documents say detectives then examined the boy's body and noticed "various bruising all over the victim" and that "the victim's belly was distended."
When Zamora spoke to investigators, she reportedly told them her son woke up and started vomiting that morning, so she gave him some Tylenol and Gatorade before running errands. The complaint states she added the child "basically" slept all day.
She went on to explain that when the child appeared not to act normal and began to breathe differently, she went to a Walmart in Dilworth to get Pedialyte. It was at that point that the child began vomiting blood, and the child was rushed to the hospital.
Zamora reportedly told investigators that she was aware of her boy's bruising, adding that he bruises easily and that she didn't let anyone else near the child.
The complaint states that when questioned further, Zamora's story began to change regarding how sick the child was leading up to the arrival at the hospital. She then said he had been vomiting the day before, but that the vomit looked normal. Zamora said the color of the vomit changed over time to a black or dark substance and that the boy couldn't keep any liquids down.
Zamora then spoke with detectives again on May 19, during which she changed her timeline of events leading up to the child's death. Although Zamora was "adamant" she didn't hurt her child, the complaint states she didn't take him in for medical care because the situation was "obviously neglect" and she was scared social services "would take her children away."
Dig deeper
Investigators then spoke to friends, neighbors and Zamora's other two children. The complaint states that multiple witnesses told Zamora that the sick child needed to go to the hospital multiple times throughout the day.
One of Zamora's other children told investigators that she was worried her brother was going to die in her arms because he was cold and struggling to breathe.
What they're saying
An autopsy revealed the official cause of death as a "complications of blunt force injuries due to assault" with the manner of death listed as homicide, according to the criminal complaint.
Other injuries included contusions to the abdomen, head, face, jaw, neck, chest, arm, and legs, as well as a perforated bowel and hemorrhages to the liver and pancreas.
The Source
This story uses information from a criminal complaint filed in Clay County Court.
