West Valley City Police are investigating the death of a 4-year-old girl who was apparently killed by her mother.
Nicole Lester, 29, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of aggravated murder.
A next-door neighbor called police shortly before 5 a.m. and said Lester, who lives at 4500 Losee Drive, “'had come to their home this morning, knocked on their door and told them that she had killed her 4-year-old child,” said WVCPD spokeswoman Roxanne Vainuku.
When police arrived, Lester was sitting outside the home. She was taken into custody and transported to the West Valley Police headquarters for questioning before she was booked into jail.
According to Vainuku, police entered the home and found a child’s body in the basement. A 6-year-old boy was discovered sleeping in a main-floor bedroom; he was unharmed.
The house is owned by the Lester’s mother, who was not home at the time. She later returned and took custody of the 6-year-old boy.
Vainuku said police had entered the home, removed the boy and secured the scene. They were waiting for a search warrant to re-enter the house and continue “trying to piece together how something like this could happen.
“It’s hard to even comprehend something like this, for sure. … This is something that is extremely difficult,” Vainuku said.
This story will be updated when more information is available.
