Babysitter suspected of sexually assaulting girl arrested after return to Bellingham
A woman suspected of sexually molesting a young girl she babysat between 2009 and 2012 surrendered to Bellingham police Tuesday after she allegedly spent the past seven years out of the country.
Bellingham police booked Jyoti Suwan, 33, into Whatcom County Jail Jan. 2 on suspicion of first-degree child molestation.
Officers were first contacted by the victim’s mother Aug. 31, 2013, and she reported that her then 11-year-old daughter had been touched in a sexual manner by a former babysitter, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents filed in April 2014.
The mother told police that she met Suwan through a friend and employed her to babysit her daughter for approximately 2½ years, the court documents state.
The mother also said her daughter reported that on more than one occasion between 2009 and 2012 Suwan had gotten in bed with the daughter and touched her inappropriately, documents said.
Suwan also told the victim that if she told anyone, she would be sent to live with her father, according to documents.
Detectives interviewed the victim, and her accounts matched what the mother reported, documents said. The victim also said that the sexual assaults had affected her school work.
The mother told police that Suwan had family in Canada and was married to a man who lived outside the United States, according to documents.
In September 2013, detectives attempted to find Suwan through a manager at her place of employment and through a landlord, documents state. The landlord informed police that she had spoken to Suwan, who was in India, and that Suwan did not say she was coming back.
In February 2014, the mother told detectives that Suwan had called from India and apologized for touching the victim, documents state.
A detective contacted Suwan by phone on Feb. 18, 2014, documents said, and she admitted to touching the victim and said she was sorry. She also reportedly told the detective she would apologize if she could talk to the victim, but that she “did not want to come back” to Washington state.
Suwan turned herself in at the Bellingham police station and was booked without incident, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.
