Police have charged three family members in relation to the death of a child at a Bangor hospital on Feb. 18.
The child’s father, Joshua Smith, 33; mother, Jem Bean, 35; and paternal grandmother, Mistie Latourette, 56, all of Bangor, were charged with depraved indifference murder.
On the morning of Feb. 18, a 10-year-old Bangor child was driven to a local hospital with life threatening injuries. The hospital notified the Bangor Police Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. The child died overnight.
Based on a post-mortem examination, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide. Police initially described the death as due to injuries, but officials have not disclosed details.
After an investigation, Bangor Police detectives obtained warrants of arrest for the three family members. All three were brought to the Penobscot County Jail.
Bean works for the Department of Health and Human Services at Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital in Bangor in an administrative position, DHHS spokesperson Lindsay Hammes said. She does not do direct patient care or interact with children or Child Protective Services, Hammes said.
State and federal laws don’t allow DHHS to comment on child protective matters in most cases, Hammes said. The department declined to say if it had previously investigated the family.
“The death of a child is a tragedy and the charges in this case are deeply disturbing,” Hammes said. “The department will continue to do all it can to support the pursuit of justice in cases of violence against children.”
Police have not released any additional information and said the case remains under investigation.
BDN writer Marie Weidmayer contributed reporting to this story.