SOUTH SALT LAKE — Police say the skull fracture suffered by 18-month-old Rhoda Wright was much larger than originally reported.
The word from the Utah medical examiner is the fracture in the baby's skull is much larger than 3 inches and breaks off into a "Y" shape and then circles on each side of her head, officer Darin Sweeten said.
It could be two or three weeks, however, until a decision is made whether to file charges against the baby-sitter who was watching Rhoda, the daughter of Paul Kingston, when she was injured.
The baby died Jan. 19 at Primary Children's Medical Center, three days after reportedly falling from a chair and hitting her head on tile floor at Michelle Michaels' apartment, 3846 S. Main St.
Michaels was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on second-degree felony child abuse Jan. 16. She was released two days later after posting bail.
In addition to completing its own tests, the Utah Medical Examiner's Office is waiting for tests and reports to be completed by doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center, Sweeten said. He does not know when the medical examiner will have the final autopsy report completed.
On Jan. 31, members of the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office, the Utah Medical Examiner's Office, South Salt Lake police and Primary Children's Medical Center will meet to review the case, Sweeten said. They will probably talk about whether the fatal injuries suffered by the girl could have been caused by an accidental fall or if the injuries could only have happened by blunt-force trauma.
Police have also re-interviewed both Paul Kingston, leader of the Kingston polygamy clan, and Lori Wright, Rhoda's mother, since the baby's death, Sweeten said. He said both have been cooperated with investigators.
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