A woman accused of putting her 4-year-old stepson's legs in scalding water as punishment the night before he was found unresponsive is set for an initial court appearance on a child endangering charge as Ohio police investigate the boy's death.
His father told a 911 dispatcher the child got into a hot bath Tuesday, then went to bed and was found unresponsive Wednesday at home in Franklin, roughly 35 miles north of Cincinnati.
Franklin police say their investigation indicates the hot water was a punishment, and the death of Austin Derreck Cooper was ruled a homicide.
A statement from police Chief Russ Whitman said the boy's stepmother, Anna Ritchie, was being held on $350,000 bond.
She had no attorney on record in Franklin Municipal Court.
