Ohio Police say that a woman was charged with scalding a 4-year-old boy to death with 135-degree water.
Anna Ritchie, the stepmother, placed the boy in scalding water and held him there for at least 20 minutes, Cincinnati.com reported. The average temperature for an adult’s shower is usually about 105 degrees F.
Prosecutor David Fornshell told WKRC-TV that it would have taken just four seconds to scald the child in the water.
The boy died of shock from fluid and blood loss due to his burns. However, Fornshell told the Dayton Daily News that the boy had a 95 percent chance of survival if he got immediate treatment.
She allegedly considered the scalding bath as a form of punishment. Reports say that an investigator in Franklin, Ohio, where the family resided, said Ritiche could hear the boy crying throughout the night, but she ignored him and told his father not to check on him.
If Ritchie is convicted, she faces 15 years to life in prison.
It is unclear if Austin’s father will be charged. Fornshell said that his father likely knew of previous rough treatment.
