KOMOAleesha Walker and sonIt’s been a rough 12 months in Pierce County when it comes to the seemingly inexplicable death of young children – and that trend continues. Today the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office officially charged 28-year-old Aleesha Walker with First Degree Murder in the death of her son, identified by local news outlets as two-year-old Noah Walker Sanford. Most tragic of all, charging documents say Noah Sanford was seen at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital two days prior to his death, with Child Protection Services indicating upon discharge that that the mother’s mental state was the sole concern of the visit. Aleesha Walker called 911 last Friday at around 7 a.m. to report she had “just murdered her child,” according to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office. In that call, Walker allegedly told the 911 operator she’d struck her son’s head against a dresser and “made reference to smothering him.” Charging documents indicate Walker reported hearing voices and told authorities she acted, “at least in part, as directed by those voices.”Upon arrival to the defendant’s apartment, located in the 3600 block of South Thompson Avenue in Tacoma, officers saw a small child — soon identified as Walker’s son — lying naked on the floor with dried blood spots on his face. Walker allegedly told officers at the scene, “God knows what I did…I’m bad for doing what I did, I did it to the baby, he’s gone.” Charging documents indicate that, upon arrival at Walker’s apartment, police found the door ajar, and after knocking located Walker in an upstairs hallway, lying “on her stomach with her hands behind her back.” Walker allegedly had dried blood on her hands and knees.Though firefighters and paramedics were already waiting outside, the boy was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Mary Bridge. An initial autopsy revealed that while the child had sustained traumas to the head and face, these injuries were not fatal. The doctor who performed the autopsy indicated that it appears likely the child was smothered, deeming the death a homicide. Charging documents indicate neighbors last saw Walker and her son the evening prior, and one neighbor told police he was awoken at around 6 a.m. by “the sound of a loud thud on the floor” of Walker’s apartment.Along with the visit to Mary Bridge two days before the young boy’s death, charging documents indicate “there have been several referrals to Child Protective Services” regarding Walker and her son.Charging documents also indicate that a criminal history check showed that Aleesha Walker has previously been convicted of assault and prostitution related activities.

In addition to this most recent child-related tragedy, Pierce County has been coping with the recent death of three-year-old Julio Segura-McIntosh, who accidentally shot himself with a handgun belonging to his mom’s boyfriend near the Tacoma Mall in mid-March. And last June, Tacoma’s Melissa C. McMillen allegedly drowned her newborn child in the toilet shortly after giving birth to it. McMillen’s trial is scheduled to get underway soon in Pierce County court.