A 12-year-old Utah boy’s father, stepmother and older brother have all been arrested and accused of starving and beating the child “over the course of several years,” leading to his death earlier this month from total organ failure.
Authorities first reported the boy’s death on July 9, sharing that at 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, Weber County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the family’s West Haven home for a medical call involving the child.
The boy was unresponsive when deputies arrived, and they assisted family members with CPR, authorities said. The boy was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he died.
“The Weber County Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to the family; our thoughts and prayers are with them as they grieve this loss,” read a statement at the time, noting that authorities were investigating the cause of the child’s death.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office confirmed the boy’s death was considered a homicide and announced the relatives’ arrests in connection with the case.
The boy’s 46-year-old father, Shane Peterson, was booked into the Weber County jail Wednesday and charged Friday with one count of reckless child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of child endangerment, court records show.
Nichole Scott, the child’s 50-year-old stepmother, was booked into jail the same day and charged Friday with one count of reckless child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse, two counts of obstruction of justice and one count each of child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.
On Thursday, the boy’s 21-year-old brother, Tyler Peterson, was also arrested and later charged Friday with one count of reckless child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of obstruction of justice.
The Sheriff’s Office did not name the child who died. But a GoFundMe campaign created to help with funeral costs in the wake of the boy’s death identified him as Gavin Peterson.
The campaign’s organizer described herself as the sister of Gavin’s mother, whose custody of Gavin had varied since he was an infant, court records indicate. The organizer wrote that Gavin was a “happy kid” whose favorite color was blue and who loved science and Pokemon.
“My sister is doing what no mother should have to do, burying her 12-year-old son,” the page states. An attempt to reach the organizer Friday afternoon wasn’t immediately unsuccessful.
School employees had reported suspected abuse
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Weber County Sheriff Complex, which houses the county jail. A 12-year-old Utah boy's father, stepmother and older brother were all booked into the facility without the option for bail this week after authorities say they abused him for "several years," leading to his death.
Gavin was severely malnourished when deputies arrived for the July 9 medical call, authorities disclosed Thursday.
According to the father’s charging documents, someone at the home called 911 after the boy had been vomiting and suffering seizures without medical help for several days.
The child’s stepmother and older brother shared differing accounts with authorities, the father’s charging documents state. The woman told authorities the boy was conscious when she found him in his room, covered in vomit.
She then said she helped him into the shower and left the bathroom, but returned when she heard a loud noise to find him unresponsive. She said she attempted to revive him by splashing water on his face and performing CPR, the court document states.
The boy’s 21-year-old brother told authorities that Gavin was already unresponsive when he was found in his bedroom.
The investigation into Gavin’s death uncovered a “prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years,” a document explaining the probable cause for his relatives’ arrests states.
On Friday, the Weber School District said in a statement that officials were recently made aware of the former student’s “tragic death.”
The statement noted the boy previously attended an elementary school in the district, but in August 2023, at the start of the last school year, the student was “withdrawn from school by a guardian who completed an affidavit for homeschool.”
“This essentially ended our contact with the student and terminated any authority the district had related to their education,” the statement continued.
The district went on to note that because of student privacy laws and the ongoing criminal investigation, officials could not disclose any details regarding his educational experiences while enrolled at the district.
Officials did however say that school employees had suspected abuse and neglect and filed “multiple complaints” with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services related to the child. The district did not specify how many complaints were filed and deferred to the child welfare agency for any additional details and findings.
“The district is currently offering support to teachers and school employees who have been affected by this horrific tragedy,” the statement continued. “The death of any student can have a profound effect on those who knew them and who were involved in their education.”
The district noted that counselors are also available to any students who may be struggling.
“We will also look for ways to support and care for other family members of this student who may have ties to our district,” the statement concluded.
Photos, texts suggest boy was locked in room
Authorities suspect the boy had been abused for years in part because of evidence found on the relatives’ cellphones, the probable cause document states.
Photos recovered from the stepmother’s phone showed the boy locked in a carpetless room without bedding or blankets, monitored with multiple cameras, the document states.
Some photos showed sores on the boy’s back. Others depicted the child “wearing only a diaper and covered in feces,” the document adds.
Text message conversations between the three accused family members discussed watching the boy on camera, starving him and beating him, the document states. The texts also indicated that the boy was either not fed at times or only given a piece of bread and mustard to eat.
The relatives deleted some of the text conversations on the day that authorities were called, evidence suggests.
Investigators also found drugs in the home, leading to the possession of a controlled substance allegation against the boy’s stepmother.
All three relatives remain in Weber County jail without the option to post bail.
Court records show the child’s mother and father divorced in 2013 when Gavin was an infant. His custody arrangement was initially split between both parents, but after his mother was arrested in 2014 because Gavin was allegedly found wandering unsupervised, and police later discovered she had drugs out in the home, his father was granted sole custody. She was later found guilty of one count of permitting a child to be exposed to controlled substances, a third-degree felony.
By 2016, as the mother was nearing the end of her probation period, a judge modified Gavin’s custody arrangement again: His father was granted primary custody, while his mother was granted some weekend, summer and holiday custody, court records show. More details about the child’s custody arrangement before his death were not immediately known.
“These types of cases are extremely difficult to process and investigate,” the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The agency also said it was grateful for the “countless hours” investigators worked on the case.