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Manti • A Sanpete County woman is facing a charge of negligent homicide in the death of her toddler son.
Brandi Cox Roberts, 35, of Ephraim, made her first appearance in 6th District Court on Wednesday on the class A misdemeanor charge, which stems from a collision with a deer in March.
Roberts hit the deer with her van while driving on U.S. 89 near Manti the night of March 22, according to a Utah Highway Patrol report.
Two-year-old Christian Roberts was sitting in the lap of a 13-year-old child in the passenger seat. When the passenger-side airbag deployed, it struck Christian and caused fatal injuries.
The 13-year-old, who suffered a broken wrist, and a 10-year-old child were treated at a local hospital and released. Roberts was uninjured.
None of them had been wearing seat belts.
"The damage to the vehicle is minimal," said Sanpete County Attorney Brody Keisel. "If [Christian] had been properly placed and secured in the car, he would be alive, no question."
UHP investigators did not immediately suspect impairment but drew blood for drug and alcohol tests "as a matter of course," Keisel said.
Roberts tested positive for drugs, leading Keisel to add possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony, to the case.
Keisel also charged Roberts with class A misdemeanor reckless endangerment and class B misdemeanor driving with a measurable amount of a controlled substance.