Minneapolis woman faces charges for malicious punishment of a child, police investigating toddler’s death

A Minneapolis mother has been charged with malicious punishment of a child of her 4-month-old, after the “suspicious” death of her 2-year-old son.

Navonna Latina West, 25-years-old, faces two felony counts of malicious punishment of a child.

West does not face charges in connection to the death of her 2-year-old son, which Minneapolis police are investigating as a homicide.

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Court records say Minneapolis police were called to a report of a child not breathing on Wedsneday evening. The child was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died.

According to the criminal complaint, police observed numerous injuries on the 2-year-old boy’s body, “including bruising and scratches.”

After noticing the injuries, police had West’s 4-month-old transported to the hospital for evaluation, which found numerous injuries, including bruising, possible burns marks, blood in the right eye and a possible chemical burn.

“A Child Abuse Pediatrician treated Victim B and observed several injuries to his face. It was also determined that Victim B suffered multiple rib fractures and had fluid is his abdomen. There was also a positive test result showing that Victim B had been exposed to fentanyl,” the complaint states.

The complaint says West “either attempted to deny or minimize the injuries to her children.”

After being told her son had died, West “again stated that she was essentially the only one [who] had access to her boys but continued to claim the injuries to both victims were from them being sick,” the complaint states.

Police interviewed three witnesses who said they observed West strike her 2-year-old son, and one witness reported seeing him “eating cigarette ashes and that the defendant [West] thought that was funny,” the complaint states.

West is due in court Monday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m.