Police: Mother high day daughter died

Police have learned that a Yuma mother charged with negligent homicide and felony child abuse in connection with the 2000 death of her 21-month-old daughter was high on methamphetamine the day her daughter died - and that the infant died from a heat-related cause, rather than a drowning, as the mother had reported.

The report also states that Native American health officials, who had seen the infant several times prior to her death, had concerns about the baby's care.

The Sun obtained the official Yuma Police Department reports from 2000 and 2007 regarding the death of infant Alanah Phillips. The following details are taken from those reports.

Teresa Hayes, 30, of 14380 S. Farm Road in Somerton, was interviewed Aug. 9, 2007, and she admitted to police she had been a "heavy methamphetamine abuser" for years and used meth daily around the time of her daughter's death. Hayes told police she smoked meth early the morning of Aug. 2, 2000, the day Phillips died, before her children had awakened. She said the high would last all day, according to the YPD report.

Hayes admitted to police that her drug use may have impacted her recollection of the day her daughter died, but said she thought she had recalled the events correctly.

Police told her Phillips was "determined to have died in part due to exposure to extreme heat, along with dehydration," the report said.

Hayes recalled her daughter being "very hot" and said the reason she put her in the bathtub was to cool her off at Lothlorien Apartments, 2200 S. Avenue B, their residence at the time. She said she thought she put her in "too cold of water, causing her to go into shock and die," according to the report.

She said she was not sure what caused her daughter to become hot. She said she had Phillips and other children under her care in the car early that afternoon, to pick up another of her children from a Head Start program, and that they were all hot, because the car did not have air conditioning.

Hayes said she took the children inside, put the baby to bed and took Phillips to give her a bath. She said she started the bath, was distracted by another child, left and "when she returned she found Alanah in the bath face down," the report said.

Police told her that was unlikely because Phillips was found to have not drowned and was so hot it was unlikely she was submerged. Also, there was no water in the bathtub when officers arrived, and the water diverter's position suggested "the shower was the last thing used," according to the report. Also, the report stated that the mat in front of the bathtub and the baby's hair were dry.

Police said they believed her daughter was already dead when Hayes took her to the bathroom.

Hayes denied accidentally or otherwise leaving Phillips in the car when she picked up her child from a Head Start program.

Hayes said Child Protective Services had custody of her children on and off because she was struggling with drug addition and "would often leave the children with someone and fail to come back." She said she took parenting classes, found housing and had her children back before her daughter died, although "she was still a heavy meth user."

According to witness accounts in the report, a neighbor heard Hayes screaming for help and assisted in CPR while 911 was called.

As the investigation continued, police obtained Phillips' records from the Fort Yuma Indian Hospital and the Cocopah Indian Tribe Social Service Department. The records showed Phillips as being "pale and very thin," dehydrated and having malnutrition in May 1999, according to Cocopah Social Services' report.

The child had previously been under the care of Child and Family Services of Yuma, but Hayes was allowed visitation. In reports from May to June 1999, when Phillips returned to the care of CFS after having been with Hayes, in one incident, she returned "sweaty and flushed" and in another she returned "very thirsty."

A CFS report from May 29, 2000, states Phillips was returned wet even though diapers had been sent on a two-hour outing with her mother. The report said Phillips was "definitely below average on her weight, growth and skills."

On June 26, 2000, a CFS report states that after a visit with Hayes, "She is returning not clean and the food and formula she is receiving is questionable."

According to Fort Yuma Indian Hospital records, there were "many mentions of child abuse" and "failure to thrive." On other occasions, Phillips was late for immunizations, had facial trauma, had marks on her wrists "like she was tied on both hands with rope," and it was noted she had "lost six to eight pounds since she was placed with her parent."

The Hayes/Phillips "suspicious death" case was presented to the Yuma County Attorney's office and declined in September 2000 due to "insufficient evidence to ensure a reasonable likelihood of conviction," the report said.

According to the YPD report from August 2007, the case had been discussed with various members of the county attorney's office between 2002 and the present.

Hayes has not been booked into jail and is scheduled to have her initial appearance at 1 p.m. Sept. 4 in Yuma Justice Court.

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Nicole Squibbs can be reached at

nsquibbs@yumasun.com or 539-6855.