LOCAL NEWS

Husband of woman arrested in child abuse homicide case booked

Oct 8, 2024, 9:54 PM | Updated: Oct 9, 2024, 6:29 pm

SALT LAKE CITY — The husband of a woman previously booked on suspicion of child abuse homicide has been arrested.

Jose Miguel Mora Rodriguez, 33, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Tuesday.

According to a bookings affidavit, Rodriguez is under investigation due to a previous case of child abuse homicide in Eagle Mountain, for which his wife had previously been arrested.

The affidavit states that throughout that investigation, Rodriguez’s children were subject to a drug screening performed by analyzing hair follicles for chemicals in the body that indicate the presence of drugs.

“It happens over time consistently repeatedly in order to get that substance in their system to a point where it can be found in testing. And that’s the point where they decided to arrest the father for that,” said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

During that investigation, according to the affidavit, one of the two children tested returned a positive result for marijuana. The document states that “(The child) has been exposed to marijuana so heavily and for such a long duration that a THC metabolite still exists in their body.”

One neighbor, Sharon Keele, said she saw the mother and baby the day before the incident. She said the baby looked happy and healthy.

“I saw them two days in a row. There were no bruises, nothing anywhere. He was happy, and she was happy. They looked like a normal family having a good day. She was teaching their son how to ride a bike,” Keele said.

After the children were tested, a search warrant was issued for the home, according to the affidavit. During that search, officers located drug paraphernalia “in plain view,” as well as THC wax in the child’s room, plainly accessible, according to the document.

Jose Miguel Mora Rodriguez has been booked into the Utah County Jail on one count of endangerment of a child or vulnerable adult, a third-degree felony.


Child abuse resources:

  • Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).

Help with Children

Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:

  • The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
  • Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
  • The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.

The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child’s mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.

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Husband of woman arrested in child abuse homicide case booked