SOUTH SALT LAKE — As members of the Kingston polygamy clan mourn the loss of 18-month-old Rhoda Wright, the daughter of Kingston leader Paul Kingston and Lori Wright, prosecutors are expected to review the case this week for possible charges.
Rhoda died at 8:59 p.m. Friday at Primary Children's Medical Center. The state medical examiner will now try to determine her cause of death.
The only explanation being offered for Rhoda's injuries comes from the woman who was baby-sitting her, Michelle Michaels, 26. Michaels told South Salt Lake police that Rhoda's head hit the tile floor at her apartment, 3846 S. Main St., after she apparently fell or slipped off a chair.
Information contained in documents filed in 3rd District Court reveal police are investigating the possibility of child abuse.
According to the affidavit, detective Shannon Bennett said he was in the operating room while trauma surgeons tried to stop the bleeding in Rhoda's brain. At one point during the operation, one surgeon exclaimed, "They beat the - - - - out of this girl," Bennett said in the affidavit filed Thursday in 3rd District Court.
Bennett asked the surgeon what he meant, the affidavit states. The surgeon replied the injuries, which included a 3-inch fracture in Rhoda's skull, were more consistent with blunt-force trauma than a fall from a chair, the affidavit states.
Michaels was arrested late Tuesday night and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on the investigation of second-degree felony child abuse. She was released Thursday after posting bail. The Salt Lake District Attorney's Office started screening the case Thursday but delayed a decision until officials knew the fate of the baby.
Police searched Michaels' apartment just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The warrant says police were looking for any blunt instrument or weapon that may have been used to injure the child.
The search warrant says investigators were also looking for any possible signs of evidence-tampering or someone trying to conceal the crime.
Some of the 14 items seized included blood-stained clothing from the kitchen and bathroom, a yellow chair, a blanket and a phone receiver.
Michaels told Bennett that after Rhoda fell, she called the baby's mom to tell her Rhoda had fallen and "bumped her head," the affidavit states.
Michaels, according to the affidavit, said Rhoda was bleeding from the mouth and nose, but was otherwise feeling all right and even had a bowl of cereal and juice. Soon Rhoda vomited and continued bleeding from the mouth and nose before eventually going into cardiac arrest, the affidavit states.
One big question surrounding the case has been how long Michaels and others who came to her apartment waited before calling 911. Police believe it was 45 minutes to an hour.
In the affidavit, Michaels told police the original fall happened about 10:15 a.m. Lori Wright said she was contacted and arrived at the apartment at 11:20 a.m. Police were notified at 11:49 a.m., according to the affidavit. The affidavit does not say how much time elapsed from when Rhoda originally fell to when she went into cardiac arrest.
Paul Kingston made a rare statement to the media Friday afternoon, saying his polygamous family has been persecuted by media and police because of their religious beliefs. He called Rhoda's fatal injuries nothing but a terrible accident. Elden Kingston, Paul's cousin, said it was unfair to charge Michaels. He also criticized the media for, in his opinion, sensationalizing the story.
All the Kingstons want now, Paul Kingston said, is to find out exactly what happened.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com