3 arrested following death of 12-year-old West Haven boy

Photo supplied, Matty Ring/Wikimedia Commons
WEST HAVEN — The Weber County Sheriff’s Office has arrested multiple people in connection with the July 9 death of a 12-year-old West Haven child.
Per a release from the department on Thursday, 46-year-old Shane Peterson, the victim’s father, was arrested Wednesday and booked on suspicion of child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse and child endangerment. Also arrested Wednesday was the victim’s stepmother, 50-year-old Nichole Scott, who was booked on suspicion of child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse, obstruction of justice, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.
The victim’s brother, 21-year-old Tyler Peterson, was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse and obstruction of justice.
As of Thursday afternoon, formal charges had not yet been filed against any of the three suspects.
Authorities have not released the name of the child.
A probable cause affidavit stated that deputies responded to a residence in West Haven on the afternoon of July 9 following a report of an unresponsive male child. Per the affidavit, the caller said that the child “had been ill for several days, experiencing vomiting, and was now not breathing.”
Upon arrival, the first deputy on the scene “assumed CPR from the family” on a bathroom floor, the document stated. The child ultimately was transported by medical personnel to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to the affidavit, subsequent examination of the victim’s body showed malnutrition to the point the child’s internal organs had “shut down completely.” The document also stated that the child’s body was visibly emaciated.
Per the affidavit, an exterior camera from a business to the west of the residence recorded Tyler Peterson making three trips to sheds on the north end of the property, and on two of these trips he allegedly appeared to be carrying items. According to the document, a search of the area later uncovered small surveillance cameras. A review of Scott’s phone yielded “several screenshots of a smart home surveillance application menu,” which were “found in the ‘trash’ folder of the gallery application, all recently deleted.”
The screenshots reportedly depicted thumbnails from recordings of the victim’s room and, in most of those images, the child was shown to be wearing only a “heavily saturated diaper,” according to the document. Screenshots reportedly also showed “sores on the child’s back.”
Search warrants executed on the trio’s phones resulted in the discovery of text conversations that referenced “hitting or beating the child,” per the affidavit. There also were references to keeping the child locked in his room and providing him with very little food/water, “or not feeding him food at all,” the document stated.
“These type of cases are extremely difficult to process and investigate,” the news release from the sheriff’s office read. “We would like to thank the community for their patience as the investigation continues. We would also like to thank medical personnel, deputies and other agencies that assisted. We extend our gratitude to the Weber County Investigations Bureau and Weber Metro CSI for the countless hours worked to bring charges and their commitment to uphold justice.”
The release further noted that the investigation remains active.