OUTSIDE TACOMA, WA -- Today, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Roy resident Tyler James Deutsch, 25, with assault of a child in the first degree, criminal mistreatment in the first degree and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, for placing his 6 week-old daughter in a working freezer long enough for the baby’s temperature to fall to 84 degrees.
“This is one of those crimes that defy understanding,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Our prayers are with the baby.”
On May 25, 2013, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were dispatched to Roy address regarding a domestic dispute apparently surrounding an infant who had been placed in a freezer.
Medics arrived first and determine that the baby had a core body temperature of 84 degrees.
The infant, with blistered skin, was transported to a local trauma center.
Medical staff determined that she had suffered a broken arm and leg and a head injury. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the baby is the daughter of Deutsch.
Deutsch, the baby and the baby’s mother live together in a Roy trailer.
The mother left the child alone with Deutsch from approximately 1:30 until 3:30 pm Saturday afternoon. When the mother returned, she saw Deutsch removing the baby from the freezer. The baby was wearing only a diaper.
The mother tried to call for help but Deutsch took the phone. She left the trailer and got the attention of neighbors, who called 911.
Deutsch told detectives that he was very tired and the baby was crying, so he put her in the freezer and closed the door. Deutsch fell asleep and woke up when the mother returned. He removed the baby from the freezer as the mother walked into the trailer.
Deutsch told her not to call 911 because he did not want to get in trouble.
In the freezer detectives found a bag of cauliflower, a partial bag of ice and thermometer that read 10 degrees.
Doctors believe the baby will survive, but it’s too soon to assess potential complications.
Tyler Deutsch is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at 1:30 pm, in Courtroom 270 in the Pierce County City Building.
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