USA: An Idaho woman was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and injury to a child after she allegedly admitted to repeatedly using water torture to his 5-year-old stepson.
Not only that, but the horrible mother also strangled him as many as 70 times.
LaShauna Eskeets, 28 years old, was arrested in late May this year, 3 days after his stepson was admitted to the hospital.
According to an affidavit, the 5-year-old stepson was admitted to the Idaho Falls Community Hospital with some serious injuries.
According to a probable cause affidavit that was obtained by the Idaho Falls Post Register, the woman initially claimed that the child had fallen off a baby gate and hurt himself.
However, doctors said that some of the injuries were recent and some were healing, which led them to conclude that the child was being abused.
A police report said that the boy weighed just 35 pounds and was labeled malnourished.
The boy also had swelling around his head and eyes, fractured ribs on both sides of his body, a broken bone in his right arm, and bruises all over his neck and ankles.
During a forensic interview with an investigator from Idaho Child Protective Services, the young boy initially said that his stepmother spanked him for eating cake and that he had taken a fall.
When the father of the 5-year-old boy got to know about what happened, he said that he knew nothing about it.
The father of the 5-year-old boy, who was often away on business for weeks, broke down in tears and told investigators that he knew nothing about the abuse.
The child also said that his mother would sometimes hold him underwater in the sink.
The 5-year-old boy told the authorities that his stepmother would sometimes tie up his hands and ankles so he could stop from fighting back when she would hold him underwater.
When the 28-year-old was questioned by the police, she admitted abusing her stepson for over 1 year and 6 months out of frustration.
She said that she had trouble raising him because he stole things and was acting out.
While the family lived in Arizona before January 2018, Eskeets said that she kept her stepson locked in his room.
The affidavit states that Eskeets told the police that she struggled to love the boy and was annoyed by him.
LaShauna Eskeets also told the police that before discovering the water torture method, she would strangle the boy until his body went limp.
She also kicked and hit the child in the head.
The woman also admitted that she used the internet to conceal the bruises.
In one instance, the woman said that she gave the 5-year-old boy a bloody nose because he was shaving a hard time learning shapes and numbers.
The father of the boy made her apologize before allowing her to be alone with his one again.
However, things went the same again and the torture continued.
After the family moved to Idaho Falls, which is extremely away from other family members, so no one could intervene on the behalf of the child.
Even being far away, Eskeets stepped up the abuse.
It is estimated that Eskeets strangled her stepson around 50 to 70 times and held him underwater for around 30 times.
The horrible incident happened between January 2019 and May 2020.
Eskeets told the police that her stepson would avoid being dunked in the sink when he told her that he loved her or when he begged her not to do it to him.
The affidavit said:
(The victim) would try turning off the water or kicking her away or pushing her away and that was when she started tying (the victim’s) hands and legs.
According to the police, the latest attack happened on May 17, 2020, during the birthday of the boy.
Eskeets said that she tried to cover up the injuries of the victim, but his father noticed the swelling on his neck and took him to the hospital for emergency care.
After the arrest of LaShauna Eskeets on May 29, 2020, the 5-year-old boy and his younger sibling were placed in foster care.
The 28-year-old woman is currently being held in the county jail on $500,000 bail.
She is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on June 12, 2020.
If convicted on the 6 counts of injury to a child and 1 count of aggravated battery, LaShauna Eskeets could end up facing 75 years in jail.