PORT ANGELES — A status hearing for a woman charged in the death of a 2-year-old boy has been reset because prosecutors were waiting for new evidence to arrive, court records show.
On Friday, Ramona Jean Ward’s status hearing was continued to Dec. 30.
The 44-year-old Forks woman is accused of physically abusing a toddler who was in her care over the course of several weeks.
She has pleaded not guilty to homicide by abuse and second-degree murder.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin confirmed Friday that more evidence is expected in the case.
Devlin told Superior Court Judge Christopher Melly that she hoped to have lab results and crime scene results soon, according to the minutes of the hearing.
Ward reported that the boy was unresponsive and not breathing Nov. 9, investigators said.
The toddler was airlifted from Forks Community Hospital to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died Nov. 11.
Medical staff told investigators that the child had severe head trauma and other injuries consistent with torture over a period of time, according to the arrest report.
Ward is being held in the Clallam County jail on $300,000 bail.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
