Woman was “watching” over her boyfriend’s 3-year-old son and other children when she inflicted severe injuries to the boy and strangled him by putting baby wipes down his throat before claiming he inserted them himself; sentenced
A 33-year-old woman, later identified as Chelsea, has been sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of her boyfriend’s 3-year-old son, later identified as Travis. The tragic incident occurred in the couple’s home, where Chelsea was responsible for watching Travis and other children while her boyfriend was at work.
On May 28, 2022, a neighbor heard distressing sounds from Chelsea’s home, including a child’s screams and a female voice yelling “shut up.” These were the harrowing last moments of young Travis’s life. Chelsea photographed the unconscious boy at 8:41 p.m., but it took her until 9:07 p.m. to contact emergency services. Her delayed response and reluctance to follow the dispatcher’s instructions during the 911 call added to the severity of the situation. When the first responders arrived, they found Travis in critical condition. Despite efforts to save him, Travis succumbed to his injuries the next day at a hospital. The autopsy revealed that Travis died from manual strangulation and asphyxiation due to airway obstruction, ruling his death a homicide.
The investigation uncovered that Chelsea had subjected Travis to severe abuse, including stuffing baby wipes down his throat—some of which were removed with forceps at the hospital. These wipes were packed so tightly that emergency medical personnel expressed doubts that Travis could have inserted them himself. The medical examiner also noted signs of petechia on Travis’s neck and extensive bruising on his chest and neck, indicative of severe physical abuse. During her sentencing, Chelsea requested to leave the courtroom to avoid hearing the victim impact statements, but Judge Travis Livengood denied her request. In a heartbreaking statement, Travis’s father, expressed his profound grief and the betrayal of trust, hoping that the memory of his son haunts Chelsea forever. Travis’s mother, remembered her son as her “little best friend” and lamented the lost opportunity to watch him grow up.
The judge condemned Chelsea’s lack of remorse and reiterated that she deserved the lengthy prison sentence for her actions. The AG described the crime as horrific, emphasizing the betrayal of Chelsea’s role as a caregiver to commit such a brutal murder. Further investigation into the incident painted a disturbing picture of the day leading up to Travis’s death. Chelsea claimed Travis had thrown a temper tantrum and refused to eat his lunch. She alleged that she put him to sleep and only discovered his distress much later, a claim contradicted by the immediate evidence of his severe injuries and the timeline of events. Investigators also found discrepancies in Chelsea’s account, noting that the wet wipes were stored away from Travis’s room, contradicting her assertion that Travis could have accessed them himself. They also discovered that Chelsea’s phone, which she claimed was malfunctioning, was operational when she finally decided to call for help.
