Woman charged with attempting to kill children released from jail for treatment
A Bellingham woman charged with attempting to kill two young children will be temporarily released from jail for emergency medical and psychiatric treatment.
Brenda Doreen Wilder-Brown, 43, was arrested Saturday afternoon after a 9-year-old child called police from a neighbor’s house to report that their 4-year-old sibling was stabbed. The 4-year-old was found with 15 knife wounds when police arrived, according to court records. There was also evidence that they were strangled.
Heidi Zosel, a mental health professional at the Whatcom County Jail, testified in Whatcom County Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon that Wilder-Brown has been in the midst of a psychotic episode since she arrived at the jail.
Zosel said Wilder-Brown is disoriented and unaware of where she is, and has been combative toward deputies. Wilder-Brown has refused to eat or drink, according to Zosel, and has barely slept.
Zosel explained that the jail is unable to involuntarily provide treatment or medication to individuals in custody. They also can’t make them eat or drink.
Wilder-Brown’s temporary release to St. Joseph Medical Center is “beyond necessity,” Zosel said. She added that family members said this was Wilder-Brown’s first psychotic break.
The jail approached Wilder-Brown’s defense attorney to ask for a motion for temporary release. Per the order, Wilder-Brown would be taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for an evaluation and then likely admitted to their secure psychiatric unit.
Nursing Manager Misti Perry told the judge that the unit has 19 beds, three of which are currently occupied by incarcerated individuals. The unit is only accessible with a badge, and patients are constantly monitored. She said the average length of stay is about 11 days.
However, at the time of the 2 p.m. hearing, Perry said there are no beds available, though it’s possible that one will soon open up. If Wilder-Brown is found to be in need of psychiatric treatment during her evaluation, it’s hospital policy to transport patients to a different secure facility along the I-5 corridor.
Wilder-Brown’s attorney, who has met with her multiple times since her arrest, said that she’s “very rarely seen individuals that are this ill in the jail.”
The state agreed that Wilder-Brown needs medical and psychiatric help, but questioned the safety of granting a temporary release. Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Pratt requested that Wilder-Brown remain in custody while she received treatment, and said that the father of the children attacked agreed with the state’s concerns.
“The jail knows their responsibilities,” Pratt said.
Judge Jennifer Slattery granted the motion for temporary release, stating that there was evidence that Wilder-Brown is “gravely disabled” and a danger to herself and others.
At the same time, Slattery said it’s “absolutely necessary” that the order is specific and conditional. She ruled that Wilder-Brown must remain in custody until she’s securely checked in at the hospital, and that she not have access to a phone.
If Perry’s unit still has no beds available within 12 to 15 hours of Wilder-Brown’s evaluation and likely medical treatment, Slattery said they will reconvene in court and sign another order about Wilder-Brown going to a different facility.