Nytosha Laforce, 28, of Winooski pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday. She was charged in the death of her 15-month-old son, Peighton Geraw. Pool photo by Glenn Russell/Burlington Free Press
BURLINGTON – The mother of a 15-month-old Winooski boy found dead last month pleaded not guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder.
Nytosha Laforce, 28, was arraigned in Chittenden County Superior Court and held without bail. Police documents filed after the arraignment describe toddler Peighton Geraw’s short but troubled life, and the Vermont Department of Children and Families’ previous attempt to keep him safe.
A DCF worker who visited Peighton inspected bruises on both sides of the boy’s neck, minutes before he was pronounced dead. Minutes after the worker left, Laforce called 911, saying her son wasn’t breathing. The visit came two days after a hospital doctor notified DCF of possible child abuse after treating Peighton.
Doctors are included in a category of professionals in Vermont who are required to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect to DCF within 24 hours. Police officers, teachers, day care workers, camp counselors and clergy are also on the list.
Autopsy results showed signs of shaken baby syndrome, including brain bleeding and neck injuries, according to court documents. Laforce’s boyfriend ultimately named Laforce as the killer, police said.
Police say Peighton Geraw, 15 months old, was killed by his mother, Nytosha Laforce, 28, of Winooski in April 2014. Courtesy photo
DCF has come under fire after Peighton’s death and the February death of Poultney 2-year-old Dezirae Sheldon, who also had ties to DCF. The department is the subject of several investigations and the governor has called for plans to restructure the department and hire more staff.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan after the arraignment Wednesday declined to say whether DCF failed Peighton. A separate state police investigation will look at “what went wrong,” he said.
“Obviously, it is concerning, the fact that we have a baby, an infant, being murdered,” Donovan said.
But DCF had a history of contact with Peighton, court documents show.
The state assumed custody of him in May 2013, after Laforce traveled to New Hampshire, violating her conditions of parole. Laforce’s mother Patricia Davis cared for Peighton until he was returned to Laforce in October, while she was living at the Lund Family Center, court documents show.
An affidavit filed by Burlington Police Detective Peter Chapman details Laforce’s drug use and criminal history. Peighton was born five weeks early, addicted to opiates. The records also describe her relationship with her violence-prone boyfriend, Tyler Chicoine, who had been with Laforce for about two months prior to Peighton’s death.
At the time of Peighton’s death, Laforce was in treatment at the Howard Center for opiate addiction and would smuggle some of her buprenorphine home to Chicoine, according to court documents.
Laforce was in prison when police arrested her Tuesday. She was on parole for aggravated assault with a weapon and transporting drugs into a detention center, according to police, but on April 10 she tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.
Chicoine is also in custody for testing positive for drugs while on probation. He had been placed on supervised release from prison as a result of several offenses, including assault and robbery with a weapon, simple assault, prohibited sexual acts and disorderly conduct, according to police.
The mother of Tyler Chicoine (far left) is joined by friends and family members in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday. Chicoine’s girlfriend, Nytosha Laforce, is charged in the death of her 15-month-old son, Peighton Geraw. Pool photo by Glenn Russell/Burlington Free Press
Timeline
Police interviews with Laforce and Chicoine during the investigation focused primarily on the two days before Peighton died.
On Wednesday, April 2, Laforce and Chicoine took Peighton to Fletcher Allen Health Care, after they noticed he had stopped walking and was throwing up. A doctor at the hospital called DCF because he noticed bruises on the baby’s neck. The hospital failed to notice that Peighton had a fractured leg that was healing, something Donovan said the state police investigation will address.
Police obtained Laforce’s text messages after that hospital visit.
“The hospital called DCF about those bruises on his neck n r coming to my fuking house tomoro at 1pm!!!! So I don’t wanna look like I don’t have much food n stuff,” Laforce wrote in a text message to Chicoine’s sister, according to court documents.
After the hospital’s call, DCF supervisor John Salter arranged a meeting on Friday, April 4, at 1 p.m. to visit Laforce’s apartment and see Peighton. Minutes after Salter left, Laforce called 911 to report he was not breathing.
While Salter was there, he looked at the baby twice, the second time as Laforce moved Peighton’s head to show him bruises on both sides of his neck, Salter told police.
Salter told police the baby appeared pale but seemed to be sleeping. “Do I know that he was still alive? No I don’t,” Salter told police.
After multiple interviews, Chicoine told police he saw Laforce shake Peighton and strike his head on the floor an hour before Salter arrived. Laforce appeared to be under the influence of a new type of drug that day, Chicoine said.
Boyfriend blamed
Police during their investigation discovered Chicoine had lied about other elements of the story, including his earlier statement that he did not punch holes police discovered in the apartment walls.
Laforce over the course of several interviews told police she never hurt her son and Chicoine is to blame. She said Chicoine and her son did not like each other.
The autopsy revealed Peighton suffered multiple injuries to the top of his head as well as neck injuries, a forehead injury, brain bleeding injuries to retinal nerves in both eyes, as well as a broken leg.
Chicoine’s mother, Ann, attended the arraignment Wednesday, with her daughter, as did several friends and high school acquaintances of Laforce.
“As far as I’m concerned, DCF is worthless,” Ann Chicoine said. “I just wish if she was having a hard time she would have asked me to take him for a while.”
Stephanie Bilodeau said she took her son to the same day care in Shelburne where Laforce took Peighton, and knew Laforce during her pregnancy when they worked together.
“I grew really close to (Peighton),” Bilodeau said.
Laforce had two jobs while she was at Lund and was doing well, Bilodeau said, but then she stopped bringing Peighton to day care. Laforce told police she stopped taking Peighton to day care when the Chittenden County Transportation Authority bus drivers went on strike.
The Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, which investigates suspicious child deaths, investigated the case, led by Chapman and Sgt. Michael Warren.
If convicted of second degree murder, Laforce faces a sentence of at least 20 years in prison.
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