CHPD: Mom, boyfriend charged with murder of 2-year-old

40 days after announcing an investigation into the death of a two-year-old on Auburn Boulevard, Citrus Heights police said in a Thanksgiving Day news release that the child’s mother and live-in boyfriend were arrested this week on murder charges.

“After a thorough investigation, numerous interviews, [and] the collection and examination of evidence, it was determined the child did not die of natural causes,” police said in a news release authored by Det. Vincent Young. The detective said the investigation resulted in “probable cause to believe the mother and live-in boyfriend were responsible for the child’s death.”

34-year-old Rebecca Thomas and Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman, 23, were both arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Jail on Wednesday.

Although the short police news release did not include details on how the child died, Sacramento County Jail records show the pair’s charges include “assault resulting in death of a child under 8 years of age,” and endangering the life or health of a child. Both are ineligible for bail.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and will be forwarded to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. No other details were provided and police said no other information is releasable.

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In an initial news release about the investigation last month, police said they had begun an investigation into the Oct. 13 death of a two-year-old child on the 8000 block of Auburn Boulevard.

Police said officers responded to the location and rendered medical aid until Metro Fire arrived on scene. The child had been reported as “not breathing.”

Medical personnel continued CPR and the child was taken to the hospital, before being pronounced deceased. Police previously stated that the deceased child and twin sibling had “existing medical complications.”

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