Mother pleads not guilty in 18-month-old daughter's death
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TULALIP, Wash. - A mother charged in connection with the death of her 18-month-old daughter made her first court appearance Thursday morning in Tulalip Tribal Court.
Christina Carlson, 36, was arrested Monday after her 18-month-old daughter, Chantel Craig, was found unconscious and unresponsive inside a car with her 2-year-old sister on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Chantel later was pronounced dead at Providence Medical Center in Everett.
During Thursday's court hearing, Carlson pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal endangerment and two counts of failure to care for a dependent.
She entered the courtroom shrouded in a red blanket, which she kept over her head throughout the hearing so that most people there could not see her face. Carlson's family and friends filled the small courtroom to show their support her her.
But once federal prosecutors take a look at this case that happened on tribal land, those charges could become even heftier.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office will review the case, and they'll amend the charges as the facts dictate," said Tulalip Police Chief Rance Sutten.
The judge ruled that there is probable cause to move ahead with a jury trial, and Carlson was ordered held on $75,000 bail. If she makes bail, she was ordered to have no contact with any children, including her own surviving children.
The case came to light Monday evening when someone called 911 to report an unresponsive infant found inside a car parked down a gravel road, in the 1000 block of Marine Drive.
Chantel's 2-year-old sister, who also was in the car, was taken to Children's Hospital in Seattle for treatment of dehydration but is expected to recover.
Tulalip Tribe Chairman Mel Sheldon described the scene where the girls were found found as terribly tragic.
The girls' family were part of the Tulalip Tribe, Sheldon said. He said the girls' parents had separated and their father went to Children's Hospital to be with the surviving daughter.
Meanwhile, police are still investigating the little girl's death, but Sheldon said the tribe will come together to support the children.
The Department of Social and Health Services said the agency investigated the girl's mother within the past year for allegations of abuse involving 18-month-old Chantel.
A tip led the agency to launch the investigation, which was recently closed because DSHS could not complete it for an undisclosed reason. Because the child died after DSHS closed its investigation, the agency's fatality review board will review the case file.
Friend Cyrus Williams said he tried to help the girls' mother through a tough time. He said the family was homeless and had stayed on his land for several weeks.
But the family moved away several weeks ago, said Williams. "There's a place down there where some homeless stay," he said.
Christina Carlson, 36, was arrested Monday after her 18-month-old daughter, Chantel Craig, was found unconscious and unresponsive inside a car with her 2-year-old sister on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Chantel later was pronounced dead at Providence Medical Center in Everett.
During Thursday's court hearing, Carlson pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal endangerment and two counts of failure to care for a dependent.
She entered the courtroom shrouded in a red blanket, which she kept over her head throughout the hearing so that most people there could not see her face. Carlson's family and friends filled the small courtroom to show their support her her.
But once federal prosecutors take a look at this case that happened on tribal land, those charges could become even heftier.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office will review the case, and they'll amend the charges as the facts dictate," said Tulalip Police Chief Rance Sutten.
The judge ruled that there is probable cause to move ahead with a jury trial, and Carlson was ordered held on $75,000 bail. If she makes bail, she was ordered to have no contact with any children, including her own surviving children.
The case came to light Monday evening when someone called 911 to report an unresponsive infant found inside a car parked down a gravel road, in the 1000 block of Marine Drive.
Chantel's 2-year-old sister, who also was in the car, was taken to Children's Hospital in Seattle for treatment of dehydration but is expected to recover.
Tulalip Tribe Chairman Mel Sheldon described the scene where the girls were found found as terribly tragic.
The girls' family were part of the Tulalip Tribe, Sheldon said. He said the girls' parents had separated and their father went to Children's Hospital to be with the surviving daughter.
Meanwhile, police are still investigating the little girl's death, but Sheldon said the tribe will come together to support the children.
The Department of Social and Health Services said the agency investigated the girl's mother within the past year for allegations of abuse involving 18-month-old Chantel.
A tip led the agency to launch the investigation, which was recently closed because DSHS could not complete it for an undisclosed reason. Because the child died after DSHS closed its investigation, the agency's fatality review board will review the case file.
Friend Cyrus Williams said he tried to help the girls' mother through a tough time. He said the family was homeless and had stayed on his land for several weeks.
But the family moved away several weeks ago, said Williams. "There's a place down there where some homeless stay," he said.
Having children is a choice and if you are not prepared for the responsibility you should not choose to have them. It's getting right down horrific how many children are being abused, killed, and neglected recently, and the sad part of it is some if not all of these children are never going to be released from these ugly memories emotionally. I would rather the CPS would make errors in the childs favor and appologize after the fact if necessary than to leave even one child in danger if their well being is questioned than to keep leaving children until it is to late.
Drugs and kids do not mix.
I just read someone say that she might have been afraid of CPS so she .....IF she was concerned about her KIDS, much less CPS for Gods sake....do the RIGHT thing. SHE LEFT HER KIDS IN AN ABANDONED CAR! What are you people not getting? This was her choice. She chose to walk away and not even check on her blood children. I wouldnt leave my kids in the car for 5 minutes without checking on them. Heavens, for how many hours/days did she ignore them? And now she covers her head. INHUMAN.
She is a pos mom. Period. There is plenty of ways to get help on the reservation or off. She should have not been given a blanket to cover her head as so many before her and will come after dont have that option. To leave your helpless children in a car for any reason is unforgiveable. She was found out because the youngest was comatose for Gods sake. To prison for her excuse making ass.
"The girls' family were part of the Tulalip Tribe, Sheldon said."
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This sentence makes no sense grammatically.
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So sad, due to the prior investigation I would bet that the mother was terrified to get the proper help to not be homeless. She did not want C.P.S finding out what is going on for the fear of losing her kids. Sadly the outcome was not what she or anyone would want. I do not understand why any parent would leave there child alone for so long, was it due to a medical condition that caused her to pass out for a long time, was it drugs, or was it because she just did not care? I guess we will all find out in due time. My heart and prays go out to the family.
I hope the 2 year old recovers quickly, my prays are with her at this time.
"During Thursday's court hearing, Carlson pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal endangerment and two counts of failure to care for a dependent. "The U.S. Attorney's Office will review the case, and they'll amend the charges as the facts dictate," said Tulalip Police Chief Rance Sutten."
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Well, I sincerely hope that the Feds will at LEAST add on manslaughter charges for this pathetic excuse for a human being. Â Don't know what else they can add on but let's hope they pile on as many as possible.
God forbid we show her face! Â Nice going judge! Â
I am sick and tired of all the posts about blaming tribe!! WHO CARES THE TRIBE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS.
 I agree, this didn't happen because this woman was native American it happened because for whatever reason she failed to care for her children.
What a sad situation. I live near the rez and have seen the poverty. Makes you wonder since the casino, hotel, outlets, etc generate a lot of $. Sadly the Tulalips are not the Seminole who equally disburse their money. The Seminole are truly a traditional indian tribe with indian culture. There's no reason a Tulalip should be homeless. Â
 @Northend I live in America and have seen the poverty. Makes you wonder when so many bilionaires live here. There's no reason an American should be homeless.
@Northend Poverty? There is poverty all of this WORLD! Since you "live near the rez" how often have you driven out there and what do YOU define as poverty? And what exactly do YOU know about how the tribe disperses their money? No need to compare tribe to tribe, community to community, person to person. It is ignorant to point out the extra's in this situation instead of just plain old stating that it is sad. IT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
September 23rd there was an incident where a mother and her boyfriend had been followed by a police officer, pulled over and the officer searched their vehicle to find 3 kids (ages 5-8) in the trunk along with a dog. The kids complained of not being fed. There were drugs found in the car. This took place in Woodinville, WA which is not far from this incident that everyone seems to be bashing and blaming Native American's and Reservation life. The three kids were lucky enough to be found and removed from the mothers care. IF the officer hadn't pulled the mother over, who knows what tragedy they would have faced. THIS IS NOT JUST A RESERVATION CRIME! Aerial footage shows the car where the girls were found on abandoned property. There are properties like this ALL OVER in rural areas, not just on reservations. You can nit-pick, finger point, spew as much hatred as you can to make yourself feel better than others, but remember just what that is doing to your heart and soul. There is an over all agreement that the mother was the one who had the two young girls in her "care" and she chose not to care for them and she will pay for her choices. There are women all over the world having multiple children who cannot properly care for them, it is not just a reservation problem. There are people who exploit their children for whatever disgusting reason and get away with it. These are world wide problems people, and if we move past the he said/she said rumor and hatred mill we will stop the crime of racism and hatred. On the story (also found on Komo 4 News) it wasn't mentioned what race the young woman and man were, they did not highlight what community they came from, people didn't start bashing where they came from, no one talked about the condition of the Woodinville area. It is shocking that some people spend so much time bashing other people's race, what exactly does that do for you? For your race? No matter how you look at it, it is racism. Try looking up how often crimes like this take place and see the number that take place OFF RESERVATION. There is nothing more that needs to be said except continue to pray for the young girl holding onto her life, pray for the remaining family who are now dealing with this unimaginable loss, and for those who are affected by this incident. Not one person on here KNOWS the true story, some of you are creating more lies and believing your theories as truth.
Rest in peace little one...
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No excuse....... No excuse whatsoever................ Her people wouldn't help either?
Everybody pleads not-guilty at their first court appearance. Can we come up with something about the actual case for a headline? Pleading not-guilty isn't news. It's par for the course.
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36 y.o.should know how take care of a child. homeless or not. My take on the deal is she was in a drug house doing drugs and locked the poor babyâs in the car. I wonder how long? Seems they were dehydrated and the youngest died from it. I am glad the other is going to be O.K.. i know there has been a lot race junk mentioned on this story but the fact of the matter is it can and has happened everywhere else. Drugs are the root cause in most of the cases. We really need to address that it is really ruining or state and our country. I think this should be more on our minds than big bird or even gay marriage. It is an epidemic. This is where some bipartisanship and energy are needed. Before we rot from within. People killing their own kids, squatters every where beggars on to many corners young peopleâs un-employment.
Another mother killing her children....and the courts feel the mother is the better caregiver in custody cases, why? And another case of DSHS failing children in need. The whole department needs to be disbanded and rebuilt from the ground up.
If you ever visit the Tulalip Reservation, you will see that there are wonderful people working with the children. They give so much of their time. I believe that the tribe is trying to do what they can to keep the children safe. We cant blame the tribe because of what this mother has done.Â
And also, while i'm on a roll! words can hurt ppl just like a physical blow! please be mindful to the family! they all have feelings as well, and not to mention PPL make this situation worse not the media! PPL with their opinions make this hard for everyone! so if you are not helping then why are you hurting? Donations are going to be collected for the little girl! if your heart is so big and you by all means always do the right thing , then maybe you should donate to a good cause! I know I am.. Love and prayers to the family!
@Amoreena Anderson The medias job is to tell the facts. The news stations reported the black and white facts,there is no gray here!! There is nothing anyone can say to even remotely excuse what happened. I do feel sorry for the family but why had no one checked on these kids in 3 days if sooo many people cared? Even if she was hiding this was supposedly a known han out for her so why would they not check there? It is a known fact that she was a homeless drug addicted mother with 2 kids. If you were related ot me in any way and you are homeless with kids you better believe it i will come grab those kids or do something. I would fight my family member tooth and nail to make sure those kids are safe HELL I would do the same with a complete stranger.
 @tkyed  @Amoreena nobody said that it was a grey area, but ppl with assumptions and ppl who have a opinion for everything, who think they know everything is whom i am addressing! and to our knowledge this place is pretty much off the radar unless you live in the area and know about it, it is also private property of a elder! and yes the tribe or elder should do something about the property and get it back to where it isnt a place for squatters and ppl addicted to drugs to hang out at
Where do we go to donate money?
 @agatha Bedacha! out on the reservation! I would suggest a form of a walmart gift card, or a gift card in general prepaid visa etc!
 @JDP9  @agatha the verification i got was today straight from her co-worker, and a BOD person. that to me is all the verification you need( permission)
 @Amoreena Anderson  @agathaÂ
For verification, you can contact her directly....
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TULALIP TRIBES
Jennifer Walls, Lead Case Manager
2828 Mission Hill Rd.
Tulalip, WA 98270-9694
(360) 716-3284 Â Â Â Â Â FAX 360.651-0751
jwalls@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
 @agatha make it out to Jenifer walls at bedacha! our tribl Indian child welfare. Located on the reservation, they are now taking donations for the little girl
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Thanks
The tribe has done a fantastic job so far helping with these kids - so glad to see they'll continue helping. Â Seriously? Â Can't someone step in and help the poor surviving baby before it is too late?!
@JusticeSeeker Don't forget about DSHS. They received a tip about abuse, conducted and closed their investigation within the past 12 months, and now mommy dearest kills one of her brood... Sorry, I don't think 'the tribe' played the roll in all this as you're suggesting. If anyone needs to take the blame here it's mommy dearest and DSHS.Â
 @what?  @JusticeSeeker According to what I heard last night she was hiding from DSHS so after not being able to find her they closed the case.
 @what?  @JusticeSeeker Well sure - but in this article DSHS isn't claiming they're helping or helped.  The tribe is. Â
I wonder if DSHS was not able to find this mother and the babies. She hid the children and the car.
If you plead not guilty, why are you hiding your face. Are you fugly or something?
Friend Cyrus Williams said that he knew the family was homeless and had stayed on his land for several weeks!! If that's the case knowing there are babies and toddlers involved why would him/family SOMEONE not care enough to check on the kids at least!! For gods sake several others news stories are reporting she was a known homesless drug addict. People now a days feel that as long as it doesn't directly affect them that it is none of their business. I would like to ask just 1 of the people who knew she was a homeless drug addicted mother how they feel now!! I realize it's her fault but us as people need to stop turning our heads when we see certain situations and take action.
 @tkyed - Yes, because the media has proven to be as accurate as a marine sniper. Wrong, you can't trust the media. Period. How can you believe a third party that throws themselves at every person they see trying to obtain information without verifying it? It happens all the time. Jump off your pedestal and have some compassion, regardless of what you think or judge, a little girl lost her life and your on here bashing people. Show some respect and find something better to do with your time.
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@The-Mut You're right ALL the news channels pulled this information out of their rear end. I know someone personally who knows first hand that the location where the car was parked and where the kids were is a known drug house AND the fact that DSHS was involved a year ago ARE THE FACTS!!! I did say that I felt sorry for the family BUT this is something that could have been 100% prevented. You can honestly not tell me if you had 2 small kids who were family members and their mom or dad was drug addicted and homeless that you would just sit back and do nothing. IF YOU ARE LETTING SOMEONE LIVE ON YOUR LAND BECAUSE THEY ARE HOMELESS WITH TWO KIDS YOU ATLEAST BRING THE KIDS INSIDEAND MAKE SURE THEY ARE WARM AND FED! NOW THAT IS COMPASSION!!!
@The-Mut Wrong a mother will just give up their kids!! In case you forgot the kids were in a parked car for 3 days and I'm pretty sure if they were fine the cops wouldn't need to wear haz mat suits. THAT'S GIVING UP ON YOUR KIDS AND PUTTING YOURSELF FIRST. And it is not about whether or not an unfit parent will ALLOW me to take their kids I just simply will and then call the cops and explaine what and why I did it and I will GUARANTEE you that if there is obvious evidence such as this case I would have never gotten in trouble instead more than likely I would become some sort of hero.
 @tkyed - I have, I opened my home to help tribal kids who's parents chose to be selfish and beat themselves up with drugs until they were in the hospital. I was the temporary father during that time, I know how hard it is.
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I also know how hard it is to try and ask an unfit parent to allow me to take their kids away from them so the kids could be better off, but that's easier said than done. Have you tried that?
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You mentioned calling CPS, that's the easy way out. You're no longer involved with the interaction, an interview and that's it. Blame the parent. Period.Â
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A mother will not just give up there kids.Â
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Oh good, another opportunity to hear it from a third party... Because hear say is accurate too.
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Everything can potentially be prevented.Â
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How do you know that he didn't try or do that?
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Again, get off your high horse and learn to have compassion.
@tkyed Get upset with DSHS. They were tipped off about abuse, conducted and closed their investigation within the last 12 months, and now mommy dearest kills one of those poor kids. DSHS dropped the ball yet again.
@what? I agree DSHS dropped the ball again as usual but it is still hard for me to comprehend that people knew her situation and knew about these kids yet did nothing!! Just recently I took my son to a birthday party and I couldn't help but notice this one little boy who seemed to be deathly afraid of his dad and was skinnier than anyone I have ever seen and was not included in any activities. I also noticed that his dad was watching him as a hawk. My gut feeling told me that something was not right. When I offered him some chips he looked at his dad who said no. I excused myself and called CPS and I'm not sure exactly what happened except for that the child no longer lives with his dad. All I am saying is that us as people need to stop turning when it comes to situations that do not concern us.
You should be commended for helping that child. You are right to many people just turn a blind eye if it doesn't involve them.
Well maybe she is right to plea not guilty. We should charge the DSHS for allowing this loser of a mother to do this to her children, along with everything else they allowed to have happen!
I don't know the details of the case & perhaps DSHS might have some responsibility, but regardless, I am putting the blame on the person directly responsible for the care of that child, the parents, not DSHS.  Â
 @Shelly Well obviously the mother is responsible, that's pretty obvious. But once again, we have a case of a neglected child because of a pathetic negligent parent that DSHS has investigated before, and once again they do no do their job! This is yet another child that could've been saved had the DSHS once again have done their job!
 @Shelly Correction THEE PARENT
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 @JDP9  @Zoso the person responsible is the mother, to my knowledge. NOT the tribe, and not CPS. you can't help someone if you do not know their situation, there is so much more to this story that what you all are being told, but in the meantime, we who do know will keep it to ourselves, because this isn't your story to pass critical judgment on! what would you do if something like this was in your family? what would you do if this happened right under your noses and others knew but never spoke up? you would be sitting here like the rest of us going WTF? Nobody is immune to this kinds of things from happening! blame it on the poor choice, blame it on addiction, which alters the mind! blame it on the rain! this should have never happened, but it's funny to sit here and watch all the haters sit around and point fingers at the community members of Tulalip, and dshs etc etc. only one person is responsible and she will have her day! so in the mean time keep chewing your cud!
 @Amoreena Anderson Wow, you seem fired up, you seem to know a lot about this person, her circumstances, her family, how do you expect the public to look at "all angles" in a case like this? from my angle it is pretty clear, the public has every right to be angry about another childs death, by all means if you know what the facts "really" are and you can stop all the "Judgements" these people are making on here, why don't you tell the "Real Facts" behind this murder so we all know the truth? as for the blanket, I don't know of any court anywhere that will allow the alleged accused to wear a blanket over their head when in court to answer for a crime, crying, smirking, snearing or anything else, is that a custom in tribal court?
 @what?  @Amoreena  @JDP9  @Zoso I never said she wasn't guilty, but its interesting to read everyone's assumptions and responses, and what they supposedly would do if they were the family or if they were in that situation as a family member, the only ppl who know what happened are the mother, the police, fbi, paramedics, cps and the family! and I do know the family and have spoken with them, the whole point of what I am saying is STOP being a pack of rabid dogs, the mother is in jail! she will receive her punishment, and not to mention the weight of her deceased child on her shoulders for the rest of her life! you think that blanket over her head is cultural? NEGATIVE! she was bawling her eyes out, and is severly ashamed, but hey thats my observation and am i sticking up for her???
NO, I am merely stating facts. BIG DIFFERENCE, look at all angles of the situation instead of just " what you think you would do" because you haven't been faced with THIS situation on your hands, so in the meantime, maybe try donating to the little girls cause and stick your foot in your mouth where it belongs, because at this point in time, what you say and what they say doesn't matter, I am not going to divulge how I feel about the mother because she will have her day, I am however going to re-direct everything you say back to sit in your lap, because what everyone has to say is blowing air out of their @$$es and doesn't seem to matter, but yet you know what they say about ppl with opinions right :) yeah everyone has one.Â
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 she is meeting with justice!Â
 @Amoreena Anderson My thanks to JDP9 and what? for saving me the time to come up with a solid response. Next question Anderson?
@Amoreena Anderson @JDP9 @Zoso "the person responsible is the mother"
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Correct.
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"what would you do if something like this was in your family?"
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I'd fight like he11 to get the kids out of that environment and into a safer one.
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Look here's the deal as you apparently wish to see it through biased eyes. She's an unfit mother. The death of one of her children due to being locked in a car speaks to that. DSHS had a roll in this too as they received a tip of abuse, conducted and closed their investigation within the last 12 months without providing help to the children. But your attitude is what enables these things to go on. This mother doesn't need a hug. She doesn't deserve the public's indifference to what happened. She deserves to be tried, convicted, and publically shamed for what she did. She didn't spill some juice, she didn't take a fork out of the silverware drawer when she needed a spoon, she locked her children in a car and doing so ended up killing one of them.
I believe it was said D.S.H.S JUST CLOSED AN INVESTIGATION, I remember a few years back CPS WAS INVESTIGATED FOR HOW MANY CHILDREN DIED UNDER D.S.H.S. CARE IF THEY KNEW WHY DID D.S.H.S GIVE THE CHILDREN BACK