Colorado Springs police arrest mother after child dies, court documents detail alledged child abuse

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) arrested a mother for Child Abuse resulting in death after her 4-year-old son died.

CSPD says that Raven Rudd, a 25-year-old resident of Colorado Springs, was arrested for Child Abuse – Recklessly Resulting in Death on Jan. 5, 2024

Court documents show that Rudd brought the 4-year-old to Children's Hospital on Nov. 30, 2022, after she found the child at home covered in vomit and "frothing" from the mouth. Life-saving measures performed at the hospital by medical personnel were unsuccessful.

The coroner ruled the 4-year-old's death a homicide.

Court documents say that when questioned, Rudd and her boyfriend who was living with them at the time, both denied having known what had happened that caused the boy to become unresponsive. Documents show that Rudd detailed how she met a man on Tinder and that they eventually moved in together in August of 2022. Rudd told detectives that her boyfriend was jealous of her 4-year-old son. Rudd told detectives that if her son ran to her instead of him while playing, it hurt his feelings but, she thought the two were warming up to each other.

Court documents say that Rudd was not concerned about her boyfriend hurting her son but, there had been incidents where the child fell while her boyfriend watched him. One example Rudd gave was when they were on a hike on Nov. 23 or 24, he texted Rudd that the boy fell when jumping off a rock and sent her pictures. Rudd told police that she didn't see any new scrapes on him that night while bathing him but, saw some old ones that were already scabbed over.

Court documents detail that on Nov. 29, the date of the boy's death, Rudd picked up the child from daycare and that he was complaining his leg hurt but, he didn't have a fever. Rudd also said that the boy seemed tired so she carried him to the car.

CSPD questioned a daycare worker who said that the boy hadn't been to daycare for three weeks and that when he did show up on Nov. 29, 2022, she couldn't touch him and she was told that the boy was hurt, in a growth spurt, and that his stomach hurt. She told Rudd to take the boy to Urgent Care and that when Rudd picked up the child that day, he was in a lot of pain. Rudd told her that she was getting the child checked out at the hospital but, it was later determined that she didn't take the boy in until he was found unresponsive.

CSPD says that when asked if she knew how the boy obtained his injuries, Rudd didn't know how the boy would have obtained an injury to his elbow, an injury to his neck, or a brain bleed. Detectives also asked her about the boy's punctured liver and she replied that the child had "been complaining of stomach pain and was in a lot of pain." Rudd claims that the child was constipated and she thought that caused the stomach pain but, she denied knowing anything else.

Court documents show that during an interview, detectives placed Rudd's phone into evidence. Texts between Rudd and her boyfriend from the date of the boy's death were obtained by detectives. He asks Rudd why the child looked "like that." Rudd responded that she didn't let the child nap in the car so he fell out and threw a tantrum. Rudd also messaged that the child hadn't "tried walking at all" so she was making him crawl. When confronted about these messages, Rudd denied making the child crawl and said she carried him to the car. She told detectives that "they hadn't hurt him."

Court documents say that Rudd told police she wasn't big on physical discipline and instead took away TV time. When police asked her again, Rudd admitted to spanking the boy with a work belt or her hand. She denied ever leaving any marks on the child.

Documents show that detectives met with Child Abuse Pediatrician Nichole Wallace. Wallace told detectives that the boy likely wouldn't have wanted to move due to his injuries and he would have preferred to lie still. She added that anytime he was picked up, it likely caused a lot of pain. Wallace noted that the child had exhibited several days of concerning symptoms that warranted urgent medical attention and Rudd failed to get it for him.

Rudd is now in the El Paso County Jail on a $60,000 cash bond.