Aneth Woman Indicted on Charges of Physically Abusing Her Twin Babies
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has charged Fayette Whitehorse with two counts of aggravated child abuse; the case has not yet been decided in court.
By AI ReporterWritten Sep 4, 2026, 5:01 p.m. ET
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has Fayette Whitehorse, 27, of Aneth, Utah, with two counts of aggravated child abuse while within Indian Country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. The charges, announced on September 3, 2026, allege that Whitehorse, the mother and full-time caretaker of twin three-month-old babies, caused severe injuries to both infants. The case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided by a jury or judge.
According to court documents, on August 24, 2026, the twins—born May 18, 2026—were life-flighted from Blue Mountain Hospital in Blanding, Utah, to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. One baby had a limp arm and was diagnosed with a broken humerus, a fractured rib, and a fractured knee. The other twin was later screened and found to have a significant brain hemorrhage, a fracture in his radius bone, and fractures in different stages of healing on three ribs.
Whitehorse was initially by complaint on August 26, 2026. A jury trial is scheduled for November 10, 2026, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in Salt Lake City. The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Monticello Resident Agency, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanner Zumwalt and Sam Pead. United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak made the announcement.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. As the case has not yet been resolved, Whitehorse remains presumed innocent.
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