By Kim Kalliber
On October 8, 2012 the Tulalip Police Department received a call about an unresponsive infant found inside a parked car. Emergency services were dispatched to the 1000 block of Marine Drive. A 17-month-old girl was taken to Providence Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Her two-year-old sister, also found in the car, was taken to Children’s Hospital in Seattle where she is expected to recover.
The girls’ mother, a Tulalip Tribal member, is being held at Snohomish County Jail, facing possible charges of endangerment and failure to care for the children.
Community members at Tulalip describe the mother as a “good mom,” despite the fact that within the past year, she was under investigation by the Department of Social and Health Services for allegations of abuse involving the younger girl. DSHS had closed its investigation for undisclosed reasons, but due to the death of the child after closure of the investigation, their fatality review board will review the case.
The incident is being investigated by the Tulalip Police Department in coordination with the FBI. An autopsy was performed, but the results are unavailable while the investigation is underway