WATERTOWN, S.D. (KELO.com) –A Watertown woman now faces more serious charges in the death of a 16-month-old boy.
The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office says 30-year-old Amanda Walder has been indicted by a Codington County Grand Jury on one count of Second Degree Murder, and two counts of First Degree Manslaughter and Aggravated Battery of an Infant.
Watertown police were called to an in-home daycare in the 200-block of 15th Street Northwest on the afternoon of July 14th on a report of an unconscious child who was later identified as Liam Koistinen.
Paramedics from Watertown Fire Rescue provided medical aid and transported Liam to Prairie Lakes Hospital. Liam was later transferred to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls for advanced medical care but died.
In a news release, police said doctors determined his injuries were, “consistent with abuse.”
Walder was initially arrested on a charge of Abuse or Cruelty to a Minor.
The case has been under investigation by Watertown police and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
The prosecution of the case is being handled by the South Dakota Attorney General’s office.
(Mike Tanner, KWAT, contributed this report.)
