NEOLA, Utah, Nov. 7, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A Duchesne County nurse has been arrested on suspicion of the aggravated murder of a foster child who died in her care in August.
Lisa Jo Vanderlinden is accused in the death of a 2-year-old boy, identified in court papers as L.C. Also in her care was L.C.’s 1-year-old sister.
“The defendant found L.C. difficult and challenging, and while she wanted to keep and adopt the sister, she did not want to adopt him,” says a probable cause statement filed Wednesday and signed by Special Agent T. Towney, Utah Office of the Attorney General, and by Craig T. Peterson, Utah Assistant Attorney General.
Vanderlinden and her husband had custody of L.C. since April of 2017. The 41-year-old suspect is a licensed practical nurse who had cared for and adopted foster children in the past. As a nurse, she had worked for the Children’s Justice Center, among other jobs.
“During the evening hours of Aug. 4, 2018, L.C. exhibited behavioral problems during dinner,” the probable cause statement says.
“The defendant told investigators and others that she was ‘mad and frustrated’ with L.C. and removed him from the dinner table. From that point forward, L.C. was in the primary care and control of the defendant.
“Shortly thereafter, L.C. began vomiting and ended up vomiting multiple times during those evening hours. As a result, defendant bathed and changed L.C. multiple times from the evening of Aug. 4 into Aug. 5, 2018.”
The defendant and others in the home told investigators that L.C. had not had marks, bruises or abrasions as of dinnertime.
“This was important and commented on at dinner because L.C. was scheduled for an upcoming visit with his natural mother, and at a prior visit L.C. had bruises on his face about which the natural mother complained,” the probable cause statement says.
At one point on the evening of Aug. 4, a loud bang was heard by a family member. The sound came from the bathroom where Vanderlinden was caring for L.C., the statement says.
“Thereafter, L.C. wasn’t acting normally and wouldn’t walk,” the statement says. “Children in the home told investigators that they could hear L.C. vomiting and the defendant bathing and cleaning him multiple times during the evening hours. They stated that the defendant was yelling and was ‘ornery’ and ‘mad.'”
Duchesne County Sheriff’s officials were dispatched to the residence on the morning of Aug. 5 on the report of a deceased 2-year-old boy.
“A medical examination found L.C. to have numerous bruises and abrasions to his scalp, head, face, arms, hands, abdomen, back and legs, as well as significant internal injuries that resulted in his death,” the statement says.
Dr. Corey J. Rood, of Child Abuse Pediatrician with the Center for Safe & Healthy Families at the Primary Children’s Hospital, examined records and photographs related to the case.
“Dr. Rood provided a preliminary report with the opinion that the injuries found on L.C. are ‘consistent with child physical abuse,’ and that the internal injuries ’caused by inflicted blunt force trauma are directly connected to L.C.’s death,'” the probable cause statement says.
Vanderlinden’s phone was searched after a warrant was obtained, the statement says, and Internet searches related to the type of injuries suffered by L.C. were found.
“Despite her training as a foster parent and a nurse, the defendant was completely indifferent to L.C.’s well-being, and did not seek medical attention for the boy,” the statement says.
Electronic communications recovered from the phone also showed that Vanderlinden had communicated with multiple people over the days leading up to L.C.’s death that she was “overwhelmed and getting more and more frustrated with L.C.”
The natural and adopted children of Vanderlinden have been removed from the home by the Division of Children and Family Services.
“At the time of removal, the defendant stated that her kids were being removed, ‘because of what I did.'”
