Unlicensed day care provider charged in death of infant and abuse of another child
01/31/2023 12:31 pm PST
CARRINGTON, N.D. (TCD) -- A 48-year-old unlicensed day care provider was recently charged in the death of a 5-month-old infant and abuse of a 6-year-old child that allegedly occurred at her home.
On Sept. 26, 2022, Carrington Police Department officers responded to Patricia Wick’s residence on 2nd Street South to a report of an unresponsive child, KVLY-TV reports. There, officers reportedly found the 5-month-old victim, identified only as Reed, who had to be transported to Fargo via helicopter.
Court documents obtained by KVLR allege that Reed suffered a "traumatic head injury and subsequently had a cardiac arrest."
Reed reportedly died due to blunt-force head and neck trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide.
In an interview, Wick allegedly told investigators that she fed Reed and put him to bed, but he woke up around 15 minutes later and cried, which woke up another child. According to KVLR, Wick told authorities she placed Reed down in the living room and assisted the other child in the kitchen. Minutes after putting Reed down, he allegedly began vomiting and coughing, so Wick called Reed’s mother as well as 911.
Later in the interview, Wick reportedly said she might have placed Reed down too hard because she was "frustrated" with him.
Upon further investigation, authorities also learned a 6-year-old child had been injured in Wick’s home earlier that month, KVRR-TV reports.
The 6-year-old boy’s parents reportedly told investigators that their child had broken his arm on Wick’s swing set, but they weren’t called after the injury, and Wick tried to soften the severity of the boy’s broken arm.
The boy required medical care, and Wick never followed up with the child’s parents regarding his broken arm, according to KVLY.
On Sept. 28, 2022, investigators reportedly searched Wick’s home and noticed that her swing set was unsecured and could easily lift off the ground.
Court documents from Jan. 30 reveal that Wick faces charges of murder, child abuse, and operating a family child care home without a license when required. She remains held in the Stutsman County Department of Corrections on $50,000 bond, records show.
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