Charges filed in Utah boy’s death; school district had reported family to DCFS

WEST HAVEN, Utah (KSL.com) — Three members of a West Haven family are facing formal criminal charges in the death of a 12-year-old boy who suffered from severe malnutrition.

Shane Jesse Peterson, 46, Nichole Lea Scott, 50, and Tyler Shane Peterson, 21, were each charged Friday in 2nd District Court with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony; and two counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony. Both Tyler Peterson and Scott also face additional charges of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. Scott was charged with two counts and Peterson with one.

Shane Peterson and Scott were also each charged with child endangerment, a third-degree felony. Scott is facing an additional charge of drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.

The trio are accused of each playing a role in the death of 12-year-old Gavin Peterson. Doctors who examined Gavin’s body after his death say he “showed malnutrition to the point the child’s internal organs had shut down completely. The child’s body was visibly emaciated,” according to charging documents.

The investigation began when emergency responders were called to the Peterson home on July 9.

“The caller indicated that the child had been ill for several days, experiencing vomiting, and was now not breathing,” charging documents state.

Shane Peterson and Scott also told medical crews that Gavin had been experiencing seizures, but they did not take him to a doctor, the charges state.

Gavin was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police searching the phones of Shane Peterson and Nichole Scott, Gavin’s father and stepmother, and Tyler Peterson, his older brother, found conversations between the three that discussed abuse, including beatings, the charges allege.

“When talking about feeding the child victim the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all. All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years,” charging documents state.

The Weber County School District issued a statement Friday saying that Gavin had withdrawn from school at the start of the last school year, in August 2023.

“The student had previously attended school in our district during the 2022-23 school year. At the start of last school year, the student was withdrawn from school by a guardian who completed an affidavit for homeschool. This essentially ended our contact with the student and terminated any authority the district had related to their education.”

The district also noted that “prior to the student being withdrawn from the district, multiple complaints were filed by school employees with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services related to suspected abuse and neglect of this child.”

Counselors are being made available to any student or school employee “who have been affected by this horrific tragedy,” the district said.

A spokeswoman for the Division of Child and Family Services says privacy laws prevent the agency from talking about any specific case. However, the agency noted that “the loss of any child impacts and devastates us. This is tragic for so many from the family and the community to all of those involved. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services works with children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments.

“Utah law requires any person with reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect to make a report to DCFS or a local law enforcement agency. You can contact the 24/7 abuse and neglect hotline at 1-855-323-3237 or file an online report at www.dcfs.utah.gov/child-protective-services,” the agency stated.

Family members have established a GoFundMe* account to help pay for funeral expenses for Gavin, who was described as “such a happy kid, with a ready smile for everyone.”