***UPDATE*** Five Year Old Hospitalized-Mother Arrested

A five year old Eagle Mountain girl is hospitalized in critical condition and investigators arrested her mother for multiple counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and other charges.

On March 20, 2010, at about 10:45A.M., the parents of a five year old girl took her into the fire station in Eagle Mountain to report their daughter was injured. The parents told paramedics their daughter had fallen and injured her head. The parents had been on the way to American Fork Hospital when they decided to stop at the Fire Station. Paramedics began transporting the girl to American Fork Hospital and asked dispatchers to have a medical helicopter meet them there.

While en route to the hospital the child’s condition deteriorated and ambulance personnel asked them to respond to Veteran’s Park in Lehi to transport the victim. Paramedics and Life Flight personnel became suspicious of the reported cause of the injuries as they did not appear to be consistent with what the parents initially reported. This suspicion was confirmed as the victim was treated at Primary Children’s Medical Center. Doctors there told investigators it was clear that the victim’s injuries were sustained as the result of some type of blunt force trauma and were not consistent with the ground level fall that was reported by the parents. Doctors said the victim also showed signs of injuries consistent with strangulation.

At Primary Children’s Medical Center the victim underwent emergency surgery where part of her skull was removed to relieve pressure caused by brain swelling. Doctors told investigators on Sunday that they were uncertain if the victim would survive. She is currently still hospitalized in critical but stable condition. The exact extent and long term effect of her injuries is uncertain.

At least two other children in the home sustained injuries recently consistent with intentional abuse. On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, detectives arrested the mother, Leslie Erickson, age 48, of Eagle Mountain. She was booked into the Utah County Jail on three First Degree Felony charges of Aggravated Child Abuse, one Second Degree Felony charge of Obstruction of Justice, and one Class A Misdemeanor charge of Providing a False Written Statement. This is still an active investigation and additional charges may yet be filed.

Including the victim who is hospitalized there were seven children in the home under the age of 18. Today a judge ordered those children removed from the home pending investigation.

*** UPDATE - April 7, 2010 *** As reported in a release on March 24, 2010, Leslie Erickson, age 48, Eagle Mountain, was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to injuries her daughter sustained on March 20, 2010. One week ago, on March 31, 2010, charges were filed against Leslie’s husband, Gary Neil Erickson, age 59, Eagle Mountain. Gary Erickson was charged for his role in injuries sustained by his five year old daughter and his six and seven year old sons. He is charged with three counts of 2nd Degree Felony Child Abuse.

For questions call Sergeant Spencer Cannon, Public Information Officer, Utah County Sheriff's Office, (801)404-1912.