Tribal member charged with murder in death of 19 month old

A Tulalip tribal member is accused of abuse and neglect that led to the death of her 19-month-old daughter.

The woman called 9-1-1 last October to report her child was not breathing. Emergency aid was dispatched to a car parked along Marine View Drive on the Tulalip Tribal Reservation.

“The medics came and were horrified to find the children covered in feces and urine, the one child passed away and the other one was taken to the hospital and was able to survive,” said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle.

The children were malnurished and dehydrated. An investigation revealed the woman had been living in the car with the girls and might have left them alone for more than an hour that day. A medical examination showed that the toddler weighed just 19 pounds at the time of her death.

The U.S. Attorney charged Christina Carlson with second degree murder and two counts of criminal mistreatment. Carlson did not challenge her detention during a court hearing Friday in Seattle.