A 22-year-old Aberdeen mother faces felony mistreatment charges for allegedly allowing her 16-month-old daughter’s severe rash to spread until it endangered the baby’s life.
Tiffany L. Tucker pleaded not guilty Monday to second-degree criminal mistreatment after a couple who was watching the child alerted authorities to what they believed to be extreme neglect. Investigators found a severe rash covering much of the baby’s body.
Court records stated Tucker asked a couple to watch the child for a couple hours earlier this month. The couple said they had agreed to take care of the child because they believed she was not receiving proper care at home.
Though they had previously suspected neglect, they called police when they discovered the severity of the rash.
“(An Aberdeen) officer could observe the child was covered in a red, crusty looking rash over most of her face, her arms, some of her legs and her back,” court records stated. “(The girl) appeared very listless and slow moving. … The rash was so severe that it was bleeding in places.”
The officer reported the child’s circulation seemed impaired in areas where the rash was the worst, court records stated. The couple said they had difficulty removing the girl’s socks because the rash had stuck her socks to her feet.
Court records stated the couple reported Tucker had recently taken the young girl to Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma, but declined to use a cream that was prescribed for the rash.
“The defendant told the (couple) that she was not going to use the cream because ‘someone’ told her it would make the rash worse,” court records stated. “(The couple) obtained the prescription from the defendant and had it filled.”
After speaking with police, the couple agreed to take the child to the Emergency Room at Grays Harbor Community Hospital where medical officials notified Child Protective Services.
“When (the girl) was seen at the hospital, the doctor decided to admit her,” court records stated. “The nurses advised that (the girl) was so severely dehydrated that she might not have survived another few days without treatment.”
Tucker remains in custody at the Grays Harbor County Jail on $10,000 bail.
