Pueblo, CO – A 25-year-old mother in Colorado will spend the rest of her life in prison for killing her 2-year-old special needs son, whom she abused to death after becoming “frustrated” that he kept taking out his tracheal tube.
Tenth District Judge Amiel Markenson sentenced Mythia Latka to life in a state penitentiary facility without the possibility of release in connection with the toddler’s horrible 2023 death. Latka was convicted last month of one count of first-degree murder for willfully causing the death of a child under the age of 12 while in a position of authority.
According to a Pueblo Police Department news release, officers responded to a local hospital about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, after receiving a complaint of a 2-year-old boy who was unresponsive under suspicious circumstances. According to Colorado Springs ABC station KRDO, the toddler had apparent bruising on his face, leg, back, and chest, blood on his lips, and scratches on his face and chest.
Because of the seriousness of his condition, the man was airlifted to another hospital for more specialist care. The boy died of his injuries at 10 p.m. that evening.
Detectives discovered that the youngster lived with Latka, then 23, on the 2200 block of East 12th Street, slightly over 100 miles south of Denver. Authorities obtained and executed a search warrant on the home, interviewing Latka about her son’s death.
Quick Read – Illinois Teacher Denied Sleeping with Teen Student; was Arrested after Explicit Texts were Discovered by Victim’s Mom
Latka claimed she checked on her baby at 6 a.m. before leaving him in bed to sleep with his arms swaddled securely against his sides in a blanket. When she returned at 3:15 p.m., she reported that he was “blue” in the face and unresponsive. The mother stated that she attempted to go to the hospital herself, but her car broke down, so she called 911 and was picked up on the road.
When asked about the scratches on her son’s face, Latka reportedly stated that they were likely caused by her gripping and tilting his head. She admitted that the bruises on his body were most likely caused by her attempts to keep the boy still. Latka also admitted that she had used a hair tie to bind her son’s hands behind his back.
Latka’s roommate informed authorities that she observed Latka place the youngster in the corner, tie his hands, and repeatedly beat his head against the wall, fracturing his lip. Police noticed blood on the wall where the roommate said the attack occurred. The roommate added that she had never seen Latka clean or care for the child’s medical equipment.
Doctors decided that the youngster died from an obstruction in the tracheal tube that deprived him of oxygen, and that an alarm would have sounded to alert the caretaker, stating that the death was “definitely preventable.”
Jean Lopez 
