Ohio Mother Accused of Microwaving her Baby to Death

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy][quote=Chicago NBC 5]An Ohio woman was arrested and charged Monday in the August 2005 death of her infant daughter.

Police said the girl died from burns possibly caused by a microwave oven. Her mother, China Arnold, 26, was jailed Monday on a charge of aggravated murder, more than a year after she brought her dead month-old baby to a hospital. Bail was set Tuesday at $1 million.

"We have reason to believe, and we have some forensic evidence that is consistent with our belief, that a microwave oven was used in this death," said Ken Betz, director of the Montgomery County coroner's office.

He said the evidence included high-heat internal injuries and the absence of external burn marks on the baby, Paris Talley.

Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion said his client was horrified to hear details of her infant's death.

"We believe that China's completely innocent of this," Rion said. "If it was an unnatural cause of death, we want to know who did it."

Arnold was arrested soon after the baby's death in August 2005, then was released while authorities investigated further. Betz said the case was difficult because "there is not a lot of scientific research and data on the effect of microwaves on human beings."

"When the police told China that her child had died by means of a microwave, her reaction was, 'That can't be true,'" said Rion.

The death was ruled homicide by hyperthermia, or high body temperature. The absence of external burns ruled out an open flame, scalding water or a heating pad as the cause, Betz said.

Rion said his client could not have killed her daughter.

"She's maintained that for ... over a year now that this investigation's been pending," Rion said. "We're very, very anxious to get the information that the investigators claim they have because we just truly believe it just can't be true. And if it is true, we want to find out just who it was who was involved in this because it isn't China."

But prosecutors disagree.

"In the interim the Dayton Police Department has conducted search warrants had laboratory tests run and done extensive investigation in order to bring us to this point," said Montgomery County Prosecutor Debra Armanini.

Prosecutors said it has been a long, complicated investigation, but they feel confident their findings are leading them in the right direction.

"This was a very unusual injury that the coroner's office was not very familiar with and consulted coroners outside of our area in order to come up with a plausible reason for this child to have died," said Armanini.

In an interview with a local TV station days after the child's death, Arnold appeared distraught.

"They told me that someone had cooked her," Arnold said, breaking into tears. "I don't know why ... I don't know why anybody would do that to her."

The night before the baby was taken to the hospital, Arnold and the child's father went out for a short time and left Paris with a baby sitter, Rion said. The mother didn't sense anything out of the ordinary until the next morning, when the child was found unconscious, Rion said.

Rion said he never expected the investigation to come back to his client.

"We thought that with this passage of time, almost a year, year and a half, that this investigation was closed as it relates to her," he said. "We're very surprised that these charges are now being brought and very curious as to what new information has come to light that would cause them to make such a ghastly allegation against one's own mother."

Arnold has three other children.[/quote]

There was also a case in Virginia in 2003 where a woman was convicted of microwaving her son to death. This woman suffered from epilepsy and had black outs after her seizures.

Honestly I wonder why some people can manage to get pregnent when they shouldn't even be allowed to take care of a [i]fake plant[/i] let alone a child while others remain childless. It really pisses me off to no end. I mean come on we live in a civilized well informed society. Why not just give your child up for adoption so that a family who wants a child can take care of it or drop it off somewhere safe instead of pulling crap like this? Because as a mother of a two year old (who is very trying at times) I don't understand some people doing this. Okay I'm done with my rant so please put in your comments.[/color][/font]

[Andy]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Damn. I'm sorry, but that just pisses me off to absolutely no extent. I really don't see how people can be so sick. I mean, the woman microwaved her baby, that's....that's just wrong on so many level's. I really don't see how people can live with themselves after doing something like that. Well, anyway's, that's my opinion on all that.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Guest Heero yuy]

I agree with you, some people shouldn't allowed to have children.

And microwaving a child is a sick, demented thing to do.

[Kei]

[color=darkblue][size=1]I live in the area and I've heard about this on the local news. Before I get into my opinions on the matter, I'd like to point out that the mother hasn't been proven guilty as of yet, so I wouldn't be quite so quick to judge her.

Anyway, I was horrified at the thought that someone would even think about doing something like this, not to mention actually carrying it out. It's a horrible thing to kill anyone, but to do it in such a cruel manner and to an infant, someone who hasn't even really have a chance to enjoy life yet, is truly unforgivable in my opinion. Definitely a candidate for those that deserve to go under the jail.

As for why a parent would do something like this.... I honestly don't have a real answer. As you stated, CHW, there are plenty of alternatives available for people who believe they don't have the capabilities at present to handle raising a child. It could come out of fear of being looked down upon by family, friends and the child itself later in life, but is that really worth killing the child over? You can always attempt to find the child later and explain yourself; yes, there will be some resentment, but hopefully, that person would be able to understand in some form of the circumstances that led to the path their life took.

It's really a shame when I hear of a parent or anyone that would kill a child for a large amount of reasons that I won't go into for fear of rambling on longer than I already have. Seriously, some folks really need to evaluate themselves and their morals once in a while.[/color][/size]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='Kei][color=darkblue][size=1] Before I get into my opinions on the matter, I'd like to point out that the mother hasn't been proven guilty as of yet, so I wouldn't be quite so quick to judge her.[/color'][/size][/quote]

[color=deeppink]Took the words right out of my mouth, but I'd like to add that it's not even proven that the child actually died from being microwaved.

I think it's clear that people who mircrowave their children should not be allowed to have them. However, if it was not her fault - and it might not have been - she should not be punished.

I myself was burned by a babysitter (allegedly) when I was as young as 2 or 3. It was not my mother's fault, and as far as I know there was no prior evidence that it was an abusive babysitter. However, my mom immediately switched babysitters. She did the right and responsible thing. My mom was not truly responsible for the burn, and in no way should have been punished.

If she did it, fine. Let the full brunt of the law be upon her. If not, leave her alone. She lost her child.[/color]

[Guest Heero yuy]

[quote name='Kurayami Oji][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] I mean, the woman microwaved her baby, that's....that's just wrong on so many level's..[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]

They don't know if she did or didn't do it. Just because she's the prime suspect doesn't mean she's the one responsible(sp?).

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Personally I think the rant over this and getting upset is premature. The woman is suspected of killing her baby; it has yet to be proven that she is indeed guilty of the act.

The actual act of what happened itself is sick, but I think it's too soon to be judging her. And I fail to understand why people are upset that it might have been a parent who did it. I've always understood that people who do this sort of thing have serious issues, regardless if they are a parent or not.

Parenthood doesn't turn someone into a loving saint just because they had a kid. Just look at all the domestic violence happening in your own cities to see that. Admittedly murder is far more severe, I'm just saying that being a parent doesn't make you immune or somehow incapable of doing bad things.

All I need to do is look to my own mother to see that. lol[/COLOR]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='Heero yuy']They don't know if she did or didn't do it. Just because she's the prime suspect doesn't mean she's the one responsible(sp?).[/quote]

[color=deeppink]There are two different women in the original post. One of them hasn't been legally proven; the other one has. Not that that means anyone truly [i]knows[/i], but it's the best we're gonna get.

I sort of forgot that myself when I posted my previous post, but I would have said it had I remembered anyway. What threw me off was the anger that seemed to be expressed at a woman who had epilepsy, as I wouldn't put an accident caused by a medical condition on the same level as pre-meditated murder.

Of course, I don't have all the information on the 2003 case. If the condition was diagnosed beforehand and she did not take the necissary precautions, then she should be chastised. If she had no idea she had it, that's hardly a reason to vindicate her.

Chibihorsewoman, do you actually have any information handy on the 2003 case? I'm curious as to the details.[/color]

[Guest Heero yuy]

[QUOTE=Nerdsy][color=deeppink]There are two different women in the original post. One of them hasn't been legally proven; the other one has. Not that that means anyone truly [i]knows[/i], but it's the best we're gonna get.

I sort of forgot that myself when I posted my previous post, but I would have said it had I remembered anyway. What threw me off was the anger that seemed to be expressed at a woman who had epilepsy, as I wouldn't put an accident caused by a medical condition on the same level as pre-meditated murder.

Of course, I don't have all the information on the 2003 case. If the condition was diagnosed beforehand and she did not take the necissary precautions, then she should be chastised. If she had no idea she had it, that's hardly a reason to vindicate her.

Chibihorsewoman, do you actually have any information handy on the 2003 case? I'm curious as to the details.[/color][/QUOTE]

Are you talking about the babysitter?

I'm sure she's a suspect, but is there enough evidence to make her a prime suspect?

For what I read, it's just the accusation of the mother that brings the babysitter into this.

I should of worded my original post better. I meant "normal" or clincally healthy people that microwave kids are twisted and demented. If that makes sense...

[Nerdsy]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]

There was also a case in Virginia in 2003 where a woman was convicted of microwaving her son to death. This woman suffered from epilepsy and had black outs after her seizures.[/color][/font][/QUOTE]

[color=deeppink]This is the second woman I'm taling about. There are two cases mentioned in the original post; the recent arrest about a 2005 death in Ohio, and a 2003 case in Virginia that actually resulted in a conviction.

I'm not simply ruling out the babystitter, either, but until I see more information, I'm not making any judgement calls.[/color]

[black rurouni]

yeah some people shoundn't have kids, but what if she had a mental problem and thought the kid was a pack of ground beef and put the kid in the microwave. she didn't want to kill the kid and than she realized she kill her baby.(sad isn't it)

[only1specialed]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]Man sure we all heard of dead baby jokes and microwaves... i guess someone might have taken that joke to the extreme. and how come they arent blaming the babysitter. i mean how old was the babysitter. what if it was some young kid. like say a nieghbors daughter or something. what if she got tired of hearing that freaking baby cry and decided to take steps to help it quiet down. like a nice doze of radiation. or what if it was some geek who thought the radiation would make the baby in the the incredible hulk. Stupids thoughts, true, but whats to say im not right. the baby was only a month old so i bet it was crying like a little girl and the baby sitter was going crazy cause s/he couldnt shut her up. I mean the lady already has 3 other kids. thats another question what about the other kids did they see anything weird that the babysitter might have done. what if one of them saw the babysitter do it to the baby but she threaten kill the kid is he said anything. you cant just blame the mother for doing it. so what if they got evidence that the kid "might" have been killed by a microwave. how can they be so sure it was her. Hell what if it was the father. what major proof do they have they she killed that baby? (if they say in the article what the proof was and i missed sorry but i havent gotten much sleep lately.)[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Well the whole idea of actually doing something like that to another human being is just sick. >_< However, since they still haven?t decided if she is actually guilty or not then I?ll withhold any judgment on my part. At least for now because if she is guilty, to microwave your own kid to death, even that would make me a supporter of the death penalty. That?s beyond sick and cruel. [/COLOR]

[Funny Girl]

[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=Cyan] I can't believe she did that. That's really messed up! It's so wrong and I think that she had no reason to do that. I mean killing her own child is like murdering your family. That is so not right. I'm glad that she's getting what she deserves.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=DarkRed][quote name='True Angel][FONT=Courier New][COLOR=Cyan] I can't believe she did that. That's really messed up! It's so wrong and I think that she had no reason to do that. I mean killing her own child is like murdering your family. That is so not right. I'm glad that she's getting what she deserves.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote]You just gotta love the guilty until proven innocent slant going on here. A few people have already pointed this out, but she has yet to actually be convicted of the crime, and the lack of experience in understanding evidence indicating the kid was cooked with a microwave should be a red flag here. It?s not something that is very provable since we don?t exactly have any research on this. It?s not like they have very many past cases to go on.

If she?s guilty then she deserves whatever punishment they decide to give her. But if she?s not all we are doing is making a mothers horrible loss even worse by accusing her of being the murderer.

You might be thinking to yourself how in the world could something like this happen and yet people are missing the fact that there are three other children as well. I really dislike the opening article as it fails to give all the relevant information. And if you are wondering why the fact that there are other children is actually relevant. I speak from experience in that kids do things without understanding what they truly are doing.

When I was three my brothers spilled water on me and their attempt to hide it from my mom was to try to shove me in the dryer and start it to dry my clothes. Fortunately my mother heard the commotion and came and checked it out, but you really can?t just sit down and say it was her when the very article you are reading gives you absolutely no hard facts or evidence as to what happened that night. At least the type that would indicate just what happened.

There?s a whole lot of missing information here and I for one refuse to tell her she?s getting what she deserves when she could very well be completely innocent. [/COLOR]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='True Angel][FONT=Courier New']I can't believe she did that. That's really messed up! It's so wrong and I think that she had no reason to do that. I mean killing her own child is like murdering your family. That is so not right. I'm glad that she's getting what she deserves. [/FONT][/quote]

[color=deeppink]Ye gods my eyes! Why do we allow fonts that bright and burning? I took out the color for the sake of my retina.

:animesigh If no one specifies which woman they're talking about, this is going to be one hell of a conversation, all full of misunderstandings and crap. [b]Edit[/b]: Well, confusing for me. Everyone else seems to be assuming that everyone is talking about the Ohio woman, which honestly is likely.

If you're talking about the Ohio woman, [i]you don't know if she did it.[/i] You were not there, you are not on the jury, and the only information you have to go on is some vague article that leaves out a lot of relevant information.

If you're talking about the Virginia woman... well, you still don't know, but it's slightly more understandable. Like I said earlier, we don't know very much about that, either, so I still don't think it's justified to jump to conclusions.[/color]

[Aberinkula]

Why do us human's act in such a way. Yes she could have had a mental illness. But still it's just wrong and foul. Why don't they shove her into a microwave and let her die.

[Tekkaman]

[QUOTE=Split Keyblader]
Why do us human's act in such a way. Yes she could have had a mental illness. But still it's just wrong and foul. Why don't they shove her into a microwave and let her die.[/QUOTE][font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=gray]This caught my eye [color=indigo](And no, i'm not picking on you SK)[/color].[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=gray]As much as we would love to inflict as much pain on the mother due to her - possible, yet undecided - actions regarding her child, we, as human beings ourselves, have to rise above what we feel - to an extent - and deal with matters in a 'civilized' manner. Now while I feel that something needs to be done, we need to realise that she may - just may - be innocent.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=gray]But yeah, 'whoever did that shouldn't ever draw another breath without the help of a machine, if ya catch my driift.' [color=indigo](Sabertooth, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocolypse)[/color][/color][/size][/font]

[right][font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=indigo]T-Man[/color][/size][/font][/right]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue]
Parenthood doesn't turn someone into a loving saint just because they had a kid. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[color=#99323ff][font=lucida calligraphy]I know that definately doesn't happen just because you either popped out a baby or adopted one. But you'd think that either way you try to think clearer.

Yes this woman has yet to be proven guilty, but I think she may get an insanity plea if she is indeed proven guilty because of the age of the child (one month). I have to wonder if she was suffering from PPD (Post Partem Depression) which is a very serious illness that strikes a majority of new mothers and can cause them to do some pretty crazy things. Speaking from personal experiance here: Tom Cruise be damned you can't treat PPD with diet and excersize. You need some good anti depressants and a break! So giving this woman the small benifit of the doubt (IE this wasn't completely intentional, she was just under so much stress she didn't know what else to do) maybe she was emberassed to admit that she was overwhelmed. I know I was until three weeks into being a mom I woke up screaming along with my daughter and ran into my parents' room crying and begging my mom to take her. Motherhood= stress. Swear to God!

And now I have nothing else to say.[/color][/font]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=DarkRed][quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=#99323ff][font=lucida calligraphy]I know that definately doesn't happen just because you either popped out a baby or adopted one. But you'd think that either way you try to think clearer.[/color'][/font][/quote]One would think, but it?s a sad reality that there are a lot of people out there who for what ever reason, they are not emotional or mentally prepared to be a parent. And as a result the children are often the one to suffer.

And this woman could be one of them, it?s highly likely that she was, and it?s a pity that she didn?t know about how many states allow a mother to abandon their baby at a hospital, no questions asked within the first seven days or something like that. But I would imagine that she?s probably mentally ill if she is the one who did it.

And depression affects women almost twice as often as men and while depression may strike at any time, studies show that women are particularly vulnerable during their childbearing years.

The most common issues of pregnancy-related depression, include:
[list]Becoming pregnant while being treated for depression and depression during pregnancy [/list][list]Pregnancy loss[/list][list]Infertility-related depression and the effects of fertility treatments[/list][list]Understanding the effects of maternal depression on spouses and family[/list][list]Postpartum depression and anxiety[/list]
She may have not even realized that she had a problem since many religions [at least here in Utah they do] tend to tell their members to pray and find religious means to solve their problems. And many of these members of the clergy, though they mean well, don't have the training to realize that someone suffering from depression especially in if it involves a newly born child, needs professional help. Because there are many problems that require medicine to make a difference.

I see it all the time in my job. People not getting help until things got out of hand. To seeing parents lose their children because they ended up abusing them. Husbands who beat not only their wives nearly to death, but their kids as well. There was a high profile case fairly recently where the parents were prosecuted for forcing their daughter to drink water when she misbehaved. They did it to such excess that the kid actually died. And in the end, even in court they were convinced that they did nothing wrong.

If anything this case just reminds me of what a sad world we live in where so many kids never get to grow up, and if this woman was not severly depressed or mentally ill. And she did indeed kill her child. At that point she deserves what ever she gets.[/COLOR]

[only1specialed]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]ive been looking further into this and it seems that they found a note that might explain why the baby might have been killed in a microwave. The note was something like this.

What is red, bubbly, and scratches at the window before expoding?
A baby in a microwave. :animeswea

i guess someone just wanted to find out if it was true. :animesigh

anyway did my post like not get read or something. :animeangr Everyone keeps blaming the woman that she did it. According to her story they left the kid with the babysitter. I'm not saying that her sotry is true but whats not to say the babysitter did it while they where away and she put it in the bed. Are there reports that say she was depressed. or is that something were just guessing. i mean all i can remember from reading the article that was posted was that they think they baby was killed in a microwave. Remember what happened last time people acted on something they thought. (WMD)

so far poeple just come on here and start blaming her. if she really did it hey she can burn in hell but i need to see the evidence that points it in her direction.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=only1specialed][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia] ive been looking further into this and it seems that they found a note that might explain why the baby might have been killed in a microwave. The note was something like this.

What is red, bubbly, and scratches at the window before expoding?
A baby in a microwave. :animeswea

i guess someone just wanted to find out if it was true. :animesigh ][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Am I theonly one who finds that comment extremely inappropriate for this topic? Sorry but those baby jokes were never that funny for me in the first place and this is really not the right place to make a comment like that.[/color][/font]

[QUOTE=only1specialed][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]anyway did my post like not get read or something. :animeangr Everyone keeps blaming the woman that she did it. According to her story they left the kid with the babysitter. I'm not saying that her sotry is true but whats not to say the babysitter did it while they where away and she put it in the bed. Are there reports that say she was depressed. or is that something were just guessing. i mean all i can remember from reading the article that was posted was that they think they baby was killed in a microwave. Remember what happened last time people acted on something they thought. (WMD)

so far poeple just come on here and start blaming her. if she really did it hey she can burn in hell but i need to see the evidence that points it in her direction.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]The father said that he left his daughter at the babysitter and she was fine. Besides my blame still resides on Post Partem depression.[/color][/font]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

Well I've got to say this has to be one of the most disturbing deaths I've heard of in a long, long time. Despite the fact that I'm an adamant supporter of the "innocent until proven guilty" sentiment, I have to say with what limited facts we have been provided with, it does sound as if the mother was responsible. I hope to God I'm not right, as for any mother to do this to her own child in such an inhumane manner is nearly enough for me to reconsider my position on the death penalty, and that is saying a lot for me to.[/SIZE]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=royalblue][QUOTE=only1specialed][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]ive been looking further into this and it seems that they found a note that might explain why the baby might have been killed in a microwave. The note was something like this.

What is red, bubbly, and scratches at the window before expoding?
A baby in a microwave. :animeswea

i guess someone just wanted to find out if it was true. :animesigh [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Am I theonly one who finds that comment extremely inappropriate for this topic? Sorry but those baby jokes were never that funny for me in the first place and this is really not the right place to make a comment like that.[/color'][/font][/quote]Perhaps I?m missing something here, but only1specialed was only saying that they looked further into it and somewhere they came across the information stating that. I don?t think they were actually joking about it.

I suspect that whatever site or source they got it from was the one that was joking. Not only1specialed. So in that light I don?t find it inappropriate or offensive, but rather sad that others out there are making cracks along those lines. I have yet to even see such a thing online or in the news indicating there was a note of some kind in this case. So I imagine that where ever only1specialed got it from was a hoax. Unless only1specialed; you have some sort of link to an official article stating otherwise.

Anyway, in the end I just hope that whoever is responsible is dealt with. Whether it?s the mother or someone else. [/COLOR]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='SunfallE][COLOR=royalblue'] I suspect that whatever site or source they got it from was the one that was joking. Not only1specialed.[/COLOR][/quote]

[color=deeppink]The smilies suggest otherwise.[/color]


[quote name='indifference']You just gotta love the guilty until proven innocent slant going on here.[/quote]

[color=deeppink]I was thinking about this, and I wouldn't say it's "guilty until proven innocent." It's more like, "screw the proof entirely."[/color]