What did Patricial Hullenbaugh do? Pennsylvania mother arrested over death of 9-month-old son

21-year-old Patricial Hullenbaugh of Pennsylvania has been apprehended by the police in Indiana County following an investigation into the death of her nine-month-old infant son. WPXI reported that the arrest was made while she was at work at the White Township Lowe's.

According to the report by WPXI, on January 6, 2024, authorities responded to an Indiana residence upon receiving reports of an unresponsive infant. The infant was transported to UPMC Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead five days later, on January 11, 2024.

WJAC-TV reported that on January 31, 2024, Patricial Hullenbaugh was arraigned on various charges, including criminal homicide, child endangerment, and strangulation.

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Patricial Hullenbaugh allegedly had inconsistencies in her interviews with authorities

WJAC-TV reported that on January 6, 2024, upon arrival at the residence in Indiana Borough, authorities found that the child allegedly did not have a pulse and was not breathing. After regaining a pulse at the hospital, the infant was transferred to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.

According to the report by WJAC-TV, following the incident, authorities interviewed the child's parents. During her interview, Patricial Hullenbaugh alleged that on the day of the incident, she had put her nine-month-old son down for a nap in his crib.

Later, after about an hour, when she came back to check on the child, he was reportedly found hanging partially outside of the crib with his face down on the mattress.

The outlet reported that authorities stated that Patricial also mentioned calling for help from the child's father, who allegedly asked her to call 911 while he started performing life-saving measures.

The report by WJAC-TV stated authorities claim to have conducted several interviews and reenactments with the child's parents about how he was found.

During one of the interviews, Patricial allegedly altered her initial story and stated that she checked on her son three times as he was constantly crying. She also allegedly admitted to getting frustrated with the infant's crying.

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Patricial Hullenbaugh allegedly admitted to smothering her 9-month-old son and staging a cover-up

WPXI reported that, as per authorities on January 24, 2024, Patricial Hullenbaugh allegedly admitted to having applied force with the blanket to her infant son's face or head area, and when she took it off, the child was not breathing.

After that, she allegedly panicked and positioned the child between the slats to cover up her act.

Authorities reportedly claimed that Patricial confessed to waiting 15 minutes prior to waking up the child's father and seeking help.

WJAC-TV reported that, as per authorities, she concluded her interview by stating her regret for not getting help for her child sooner. Patricial Hullenbaugh was denied bail and remains in custody at the Indiana County Jail.