(Erin Alberty | Tribune file photo) A child was killed and a woman wounded in a shooting at Fantasy Canyon in Uintah County on Monday. Warnings of drilling activity surround the sign to Fantasy Canyon south of Vernal. Photo taken May 28, 2017.
The Uintah County District Attorney has charged a woman in the fatal shooting of her 2-year old son.
Valerie Peck, of Vernal, was charged with child abuse and first-degree murder.
The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office said in a charging document that officers found Peck and the child Monday in the area of Fantasy Canyon, south of Vernal in Uintah County, after receiving a call reporting a shooting.
The child was dead and Peck was injured when police arrived. She received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to a hospital. The sheriff’s office originally said the child was 3 years old but later reported the child’s age as 2 years old.
On Tuesday evening, the sheriff’s office announced that Peck had been arrested and booked in jail. Deputies investigating the shooting found that she took her son on a drive to the Dry Fork Canyon, according to a news release.
After spending some time at a camping area, she put the child in the back of her vehicle and shot him and then herself, according to police. Peck then drove around Uintah County for several hours until she ended up in the area of Fantasy Canyon, where police found her.
She was charged on Friday.
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