FARGO (trfnews.i234.me) – A 1-year-old boy’s tragic death has led to a guilty plea from Collin Ray Delorme, who faces up to 40 years in federal prison for child abuse in Indian country.
On February 18, 2023, a woman on the Spirit Lake Reservation called 911 and reported that the child was not breathing. The child was taken to a hospital in Devils Lake and was pronounced dead. An autopsy concluded that the cause of death was “battered child” due to multiple, repeated injuries.
Delorme claimed an external injury to the child’s back occurred when he misjudged a step and his boot slipped and a flashlight hit the child. However, investigators found evidence of Delorme’s abuse of two children: a 1-year-old boy who died as a result of his actions, and a second victim, a 3-year-old girl.
Delorme pleaded guilty to three counts of child abuse in Indian country. He is scheduled for sentencing on February 18, 2025.
In related news, Kenzie Rose Baker, the woman who called 911 after observing swelling present on the child for two weeks but failed to seek medical care, has also been charged and pleaded guilty to charges of accessory after the fact, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2025.