Update: Mother of slain Waterford toddler turns herself in, Sonora police report
The mother of slain toddler Koltyn Sparks-Blackwood turned herself in Tuesday on a child abuse charge, Sonora police said.
Nicole Sparks, 23, of Waterford surrendered a day after the arrest of Joseph Maloney, 26, of Sonora on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse.
Police said Maloney inflicted fatal injuries while babysitting the 23-month-old at his home on South Shepherd Street on Jan. 15, 2019.
Investigators have not disclosed Sparks’ role in her son’s death. His father is Joshua Blackwood of Oakdale.
Sparks was expected to be booked at the Tuolumne County Jail on a charge of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death. She faces up to six years in state prison if convicted. Bail was set at $25,000.
Maloney is jailed on $1 million bail. He faces up to life in prison.
Warrants for both arrests were issued Monday. Maloney was arrested at his home that day.
Protests highlighted Koltyn’s case
The arrests came after two years of investigation by the Sonora Police Department and Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office.
Koltyn’s family held several protests about the pace of the probe in Sonora and Modesto. One was outside the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office, which handles Tuolumne County cases under contract.
Loved ones also created a Facebook page called Justice for Koltyn . They are pushing for legislation to better protect other children from abuse.
The family said in 2019 that Koltyn suffered blunt force trauma to his abdomen and was shaken and possibly smothered. He was taken to Adventist Health Sonora hospital, then to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento. He died that same day.
‘Now we can move forward’
The family’s only comment Monday was a statement released by police and the DA’s office:
“We would like to thank everyone that put in countless hours of hard work to make this arrest. Especially the Sonora Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office. We would also like to thank all of the reporters that helped keep us going over the past two years. Now we can move forward and concentrate on Koltyn’s Law.”
Arraignments for Maloney and Sparks are pending in Tuolumne Superior Court. Neither was on the online court calendars through Friday.
