Law enforcement and community members are putting together a memorial service for a parachute child who died on June 20th. Sarah Ogden was four weeks old when she was pronounced dead at the Grand River Hospital in Rifle.
Garfield County Coroner Rob Glassmire lives near the apartment complex where Ogden had been living with her family. “We realized that there was no family around, there’s nobody around to care for her remains, her service,” he said Wednesday. “And we thought as a community we should pull together to remember her."
Ogden died of multiple blunt force injuries, and Glassmire says her passing has been tough for folks in the Parachute and Battlement Mesa. "To have such a young child killed in a felonious act is, I think, devastating to the community. And it’s really heartbreaking to everyone you talk to." So Glassmire and members of the Garfield County Sheriff's office, fire district, school district and others are coordinating a memorial service for this Friday evening.
The District Attorney’s office has charged Ogden’s father, Matthew Ogden, with a felony of first degree child abuse resulting in death. That’s similar to a murder charge. He’s also charged with reckless and negligent child abuse resulting in death. The child’s mother, Phyllis Amy Wyatt, has been charged with felony child abuse resulting in death. Both have criminal history in at least one other state. As of Wednesday, the Garfield County Sheriff’s office is working to remove them from Minnesota, where they were arrested, and bring them back to Colorado.
It’s been a long time since the District Attorney’s office handled a child homicide. “Approximately eleven years ago, [we had] a very similar instance to the case that we have now," says, DA Sherry Caloia, who explains in that previous case the father was also charged with murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
"One trend that we have been seeing in Garfield County, particularly in the last two and a half to three years, is a much higher placement of small children,” laments Mary Baydarian. She’s Human Services Director with Garfield County. “Placement” refers to moving a small child out of of his or her home. "Primarily due to neglect,” continues Baydarian, “and a large percentage of those, I believe approximately 80% or little higher, were substance involved.” Parents were using drugs, couldn’t seem to get a handle on it, and the children were in danger. Kids who are removed from their homes are placed with vetted family members or close friends.
What could be causing more of them to be in dangerous homes in the first place? Baydarian says there’s a couple of possible factors in play. First, Garfield County has a lot of young families. Also, "We have seen a significant increase in methamphetamine, particularly since the recession, and the recession has not left Garfield County. We’re still seeing a lot of folks struggling."
It’s not clear whether drugs or not enough money at home may have played a role in Sarah Ogden’s death. Coroner Rob Glassmire wants to make sure finances don’t get in the way of her being properly remembered. In addition to this Friday’s memorial service, he and fellow community members are raising money to pay for her cremation, memorial items for her twin brother, and possibly a park bench dedicated in Ogden’s honor.
“We figured in fifteen, twenty, thirty years, there should be something that we can walk by and remember this little girl,” says Glassmire, “we remember what happened, and we’re not going to forget about child abuse awareness in our community."
