Inset: Mythia Latka (Pueblo, Colorado Police). Background: The apartment where Latka killed her toddler son (KRDO).
A 25-year-old mother in Colorado will spend the remainder of her days behind bars for killing her 2-year-old special needs son, abusing him to death after she became “frustrated” that he kept pulling out his tracheal tube.
Tenth District Judge Amiel Markenson on Monday ordered Mythia Latka to serve a sentence of life in a state correctional facility without the chance for parole over the toddler’s horrific 2023 slaying. Latka last month was convicted on one count of first-degree murder for knowingly causing the death of a child under the age of 12 while in a position of trust.
According to a news release from the Pueblo Police Department, officers at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, responded to a local hospital regarding a reported of a 2-year-old boy who was unresponsive under suspicious circumstances. The toddler had visible bruising on his face, leg, back, and chest, blood on his lips, and scratch marks on his face and chest, Colorado Springs ABC affiliate KRDO reported.
Due to the severity of his condition, the victim was transported via Life Flight to another hospital for more specialized care. The child ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at about 10 p.m. that evening.
Detectives learned that the child lived with Latka, then 23 years old, at a residence in the 2200 block of East 12th Street, which is just over 100 miles south of Denver. Authorities obtained and executed a search warrant on the home and interviewed Latka about the circumstances of her son’s death.
During the interview, Latka said that prior to his death, she had “become frustrated” with him because he had been “screaming and crying” and repeatedly pulled out his tracheal tube, per KRDO. She explained that the boy was nonverbal and required a “G tube” to eat, adding that the tracheal tube helped him breathe but was not always necessary.
Latka claimed she checked on her son at about 6 a.m. before leaving him in bed to sleep with his arms swaddled tightly to his sides in a blanket. When she came back at about 3:15 p.m., she said he was “blue” in the face and not responsive. The mother said she tried to drive to the hospital herself, but her car broke down so she called 911 and was picked up on the road.
Asked about the scratches to her son’s face, Latka reportedly said they were likely from her grabbing and turning his head. She conceded that the bruising on his body likely came from her trying to hold the boy still. Latka also admitted that on at least one occasion, she had used a hair tie to bind her son’s hands behind his back.
When her son tried to take his tracheal tube out, Latka said she would “spank” the boy and said that at least once she “popped” him in the mouth, KRDO reported. She told police that she repeatedly declined professional help because she took a class on how to care for her son the previous year and knew what was best for the boy.
Latka’s roommate told police that she saw Latka put the boy in the corner, tie his hands, and smash his head against the wall several times, splitting his lip. Police noted there was blood on the spot of the wall where the roommate said the attack took place. The roommate further said she’d never seen Latka clean or care for the child’s medical equipment.
Doctors determined that the toddler likely died from an obstruction in the tracheal tube that deprived him of oxygen and further noted that an alarm would have gone off to alert the caregiver, saying the death was “definitely preventable.”
“[N]ot only were Mythia’s actions reckless, she knowingly left her [her son] unattended despite her knowledge of [her son’s] medical conditions and daily care needs,” a probable cause affidavit said, according to KRDO. “Mythia admitted to being frustrated with [her son’s] behavior and not only physically abusing [her son], causing bruising and abrasions, but leaving [her son] unattended, wrapped in a blanket and unable to help [redacted]. This action or rather inaction is what ultimately led to [her son’s] death.”
Life in prison without parole is a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado.
The Chieftain newspaper reported that after the verdict, Latka’s lawyer indicated that he planned to file an appeal.
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