Aug. 22—GRAND FORKS — A St. Michael, North Dakota, woman pleaded guilty on Aug. 16 to accessory after the fact, child abuse and child neglect for her role in the death of a 1-year-old on the Spirit Lake Reservation.
Kenzie Rose Baker, 27, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2025.
In February 2023, emergency responders were dispatched to a St. Michael residence after Baker reported that a young child wasn’t breathing, according to a Thursday, Aug. 22, press release issued by the District of North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The child was pronounced dead at CHI St. Alexius hospital in Devils Lake.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be “battered child,” due to multiple, repeated injuries the child sustained at different points in time. The injuries were visible both internally and externally.
The internal injuries were untreated, resulting in infection and sepsis, the release said. Baker admitted that she observed the child experiencing swelling for two weeks prior to the death, but did not seek medical care.
“The abuse and death of this young child was senseless, wasteful, and utterly cruel,” said U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider. “There is no undoing the disregard for life shown in this case, but by holding child abusers accountable in federal court we hope that future tragedies can be prevented. Our partners in federal law enforcement and career prosecutors will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect kids.”
After the death, her co-defendant, Collin Ray Derlome, is charged with felony murder, child abuse and child neglect. He is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 19.
Both he and Baker are being held in federal custody.
