This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Officials at the Utah state mental hospital are recommending that a northern Utah woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son last year receive three to six months more of treatment.
The Herald Journal reports that Heidi Rutchey's attorney says it's unclear if Rutchey will be able to stand trial this year.
A judge has ruled that Rutchey is not competent to stand trial on charges of murder in the death of her son, Eli.
Court records show the 42-year-old woman tried to kill herself with pills and told staffers at a Logan hospital in September that she was a "baby killer" who had suffocated her son in a bathtub.
Forensic tests determined that Eli had already been dead a week or more when law enforcement found his body on Sept. 4. Court documents say the boy died as early as Aug. 27.
Cache County sheriff's deputies discovered the boy's death shortly after the mother went to Logan Regional Hospital seeking emergency medical treatment for herself on Sept. 4 for "a number of medical issues," according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities went to her house in River Heights and found the boy, who they believe had been dead for several days.