Kenzie Rose Baker, Child Abuse in Indian Country, North Dakota 2023

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Table of Contents

St. Michael Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse and Related Charges in Death of One-Year-Old

BISMARCK – In a tragic and senseless case, Kenzie Rose Baker, 27, of St. Michael, North Dakota, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country, for her role in the death of a one-year-old child on the Spirit Lake Reservation.

According to court documents, Baker called 911 on February 18, 2023, from a home in St. Michael and reported a one-year-old child was not breathing. The child was transported to CHI St. Alexius in Devils Lake, North Dakota and was pronounced dead.

An autopsy concluded the cause of death was “battered child” due to multiple, repeated injuries of various ages which were evident upon external and internal examination. The child’s internal injuries were untreated, giving rise to infection and sepsis.

Baker admitted she observed swelling present for two weeks but failed to seek medical care. After the child’s death, Baker’s co-defendant, Collin Ray Delorme, claimed an external injury to the child’s back, which was above a spinal fracture, occurred when he misjudged a step and his boot slipped and a flashlight hit the child. Law enforcement attempted to locate and seize the flashlight and Baker said she would provide it, but she did not.

Baker is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2025, and is currently detained in custody pending her sentencing. Her co-defendant, Collin Ray Delorme, is charged with four offenses including felony murder in Indian country, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country, and is scheduled for jury trial on November 19, 2024.

“This case is a terrible reminder of the devastating consequences of child abuse,” said United States Attorney Mac Schneider. “The abuse and death of this young child was senseless, wasteful, and utterly cruel. Our partners in federal law enforcement and career prosecutors will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect kids.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lori H. Conroy and SheraLynn Ternes.