SANTAQUIN — A mother is accused of leaving her young child in a hot car in 2019, resulting in the toddler’s death.

Amy Kay Bethers, 29, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony.

On Aug. 13, 2019, about 5:45 p.m., Bethers brought her 6-month-old son – identified in court documents only as W.T. – to Mountain View Hospital. An obituary identifies the toddler as Wade Ron Taylor.

The boy’s “jaw was locked tight in the onset of rigor mortis, he was warm to the touch, he had sloughing of the skin on his scalp, face, ear and chest, his skin was discolored and mottled, and (his) eyes were open with dryness over the cornea and fixated pupils,” according to charging documents. The toddler’s body temperature was recorded at 109.8 degrees Fahrenheit and he was pronounced deceased about 6:15 p.m.

Doctors “believed that W.T.’s death was probably related to being in a hot environment for too long,” the charges state.

Bethers told police she was driving with her child to a storage unit in Santaquin “when she noticed W.T. was not as ‘wiggly and chattery’ as usual, so she ‘rolled down the windows some more’ and turned around to go home,” according to the charges.

Bethers told police she noticed he was “getting discolored” and his lips turning purple, “and he started ‘getting stiff’ and drooling,” the charges state.

She told investigators that she had been driving for two to three hours and her vehicle did not have air conditioning. Temperatures that day reached about 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

W.T.’s “immediate cause of death was hyperthermia,” but the manner “‘could not be determined’ because her findings from the autopsy were not consistent with Bether’s accounting of events,” according to the charges.

A doctor later concluded “that under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 25 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 50-70 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 45 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 70-150 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 65 mph, there would be little to no change in W.T.’s temperature during anytime of the day. (The doctor) concluded that under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the sun and both windows were closed, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 40-50 minutes; under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the shade and both windows were closed, there would be no change in W.T.’s temperature,” the charges state.

Court documents do not explain why it took several years to follow up on the charges.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Public Safety is urging people to make sure items are safely secured to vehicles while traveling on Utah roads. Saturday marks the 10th annual National Secure Your Load Day, and DPS is using the occasion to remind motorists that securing cargo isn’t just the law — it saves lives.

So far this year, there have been over 130 debris-related crashes in Utah, which are dangerous for other drivers and troopers who have to retrieve that debris.

“Statewide, on average about 70 times a day, highway patrol gets called to respond to debris in the roadways, so that adds up to over 25,000 times per year that we’re having to respond to get items pulled out of the roadway that people have not secured,” said UHP Lt. Zach Randall.

Unsecured loads are a persistent hazard on Utah’s roads, contributing to more than 700 preventable crashes and traffic disruptions each year. While incidents have dropped 12% over the past five years, DPS said the risk remains high and urges drivers to take “full responsibility for their cargo” before hitting the road.

Over the last five years, 17 fatalities have been caused by debris-related crashes.

Debris hazards can also cause serious injuries or deaths when striking vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians, with DPS noting that such obstacles are often difficult to avoid safely, leading to sudden braking, swerving, and collisions.

Clearing debris can also slow traffic to a crawl. Interstate traffic is often halted entirely so crews can remove dangerous items from the roadway, adding delays and frustration for drivers.

Utah law carries fines between $200-1,000 for unsecured loads, and in severe cases, offenders can face penalties up to a Class A misdemeanor. Officials emphasize that a few minutes spent checking and securing cargo can prevent tragedy — and costly legal consequences.

Randall explained how it is important to use bungee cables, racket straps and rope to secure items to your car.

“We have a blanket that you could wrap over and then a bungee or tie-down strap over top of that,” he said. “So with some loose items like wood, we tied them together so they’re not bouncing around the truck, being able to bounce out. You can use something like a plastic wrap or a cellophane wrap to tie those together so that they’re in one unit.”

If the “Protect College Sports Act” is passed, it would create new rules regarding college athletics.