12-year-old boy was abused to death by dad, stepmom and brother, Utah cops say

A 12-year-old’s brother, dad and stepmom were arrested after the boy died in Utah, officials said.

On July 9, Weber County deputies went to a home in West Haven and began performing CPR on a 12-year-old boy , according to a July 18 Facebook post.

The boy was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, but he died, officials said.

Officials determined the child’s cause of death was child abuse, deputies said.

The boy’s dad, Shane Peterson, 46, and stepmom, Nichole Scott, 50, reported that the child, identified by relatives as Gavin Peterson, had been sick for days , vomiting and seizing but wasn’t taken to the doctor, according to an affidavit obtained by KSL.

The boy’s “internal organs had shut down completely,” and he was “visibly emaciated,” documents obtained by the outlet said.

Investigators found text messages between Peterson, Scott and the boy’s older brother, Tyler Peterson, 21, discussing “hitting and beating the child with a pinata stick, not feeding him and only giving him one-third of a cup of water or a piece of bread with mustard,” documents obtained by KSTU said.

“Gavin was such a happy kid, with a ready smile for everyone. His favorite color was blue and he loved Science and Pokemon,” according to a GoFundMe page.

His father was arrested and charged with child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse and child endangerment, officers said.

Scott was arrested and charged with child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse, obstruction of justice, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance, deputies said.

The child’s brother was arrested and charged with child abuse homicide, aggravated child abuse and obstruction of justice, officers said.

McClatchy News reached out to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office on July 18 for more information and was awaiting a response.

West Haven is about a 40-mile drive northwest of Salt Lake City.

If you suspect a child has experienced, is currently experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, your first step should be to contact the appropriate agency. The Child Welfare Information Gateway has a list of state agencies you can contact. Find help specific to your area here.

For additional help, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline has professional crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages. All calls are confidential. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. You can call or text 1-800-422-4453 .

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 911 for help.

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