Wisconsin – A Wisconsin woman has been sentenced to Iife in prison without the possibiIity of paroIe after a jury found her guiIty of first‑degree reckIess homicide, negIect of a chiId resulting in death, and physical abuse of a chiId in the death of 6‑year‑old Zanne.
According to court records and the criminal complaint, medical personnel admitted the child to the local hospital in JuIy last year in severeIy criticaI condition. He arrived with bruises head to toe, including a black eye, numerous cuts and scratches, and his core body temperature had dropped to ninety two degrees. Doctors tried aggressively to stabilize him — he was eventually transferred to Children’s Wisconsin hospital after life‑saving efforts of more than 50 minutes — but he died the next day.
The injuries found during the autopsy revealed “multiple blunt force injuries,” including extensive bruises on his face, arms, legs and genitals, a broken rib, a Iacerated small intestine, a fractured pelvis, and excessive fluid in his lungs. Medical examiners determined that the injuries were consistent with trauma from deliberate abuse rather than accidental injury.
Investigators reviewed hospital records and surveillance video from the entrance of the hospital. The video reportedly showed the victim walking into the hospital vestibule with severe difficulty — barely able to walk on his own — and collapsing onto the floor once inside. The woman now sentenced, 34‑year-old Anirta, was seen guiding him inside and later pulling him up by the shoulder after he collapsed. Wisconsin authoriteis said that scene contradicted her initial claim that she was simply sleepy or had a stomach ache earlier that day.
When interviewed by detectives, she identified herself as the child’s primary caretaker and she was caring for him after his father was in jail for an unrelated case. She also told authorities the child had “behavior issues.” She described the morning before hospitalization as uneventful: that the child had eaten eggs, was playing, then later vomited, fell asleep, and complained of a stomach ache. She later said she contacted a nurse to ask whether he should be brought to the hospital, and followed that guidance.
The defendant had a prior conviction for child abuse: in 2013 she was sentenced for pouring hot water on a baby. That history was noted by prosecutors as part of the evidence of her capacity and risk to children.
