Whitehall woman arrested in death of her 5-year-old son ID'd, appears in court

The woman arrested last week on a charge of deliberate homicide in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son was identified Monday by the county sheriff as Kathryn Lesal Garaas.

Garaas, 40, made her initial appearance on the charge Monday morning in Jefferson County Justice Court in Boulder.

According to a copy of her notice to appear, Garaas was arrested just before 11:30 a.m. on Friday at a home about nine miles north of Whitehall for allegedly causing the death of the boy.

The document says little else about what allegedly transpired that led to the boy’s death. Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Grimsrud said he could not comment on the investigation aside from confirming Garaas was who was arrested.

Jefferson County and Madison County sheriff’s deputies and first responders from Jefferson Valley Emergency Services responded to the home Friday on a report of a medical emergency, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Medical aid was provided to the boy, but he was pronounced deceased. Grimsrud said there was no danger to the public.

The Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.

In addition to the court document confirming that Garaas is accused of killing her own child, a GoFundMe fundraiser posted over the weekend also said that was the case.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it could not comment further on the case. A spokesperson for DCI also confirmed Garaas' arrest and charges, and said the boy's cause of death was pending an autopsy.

“Our office would like to express our deepest sympathies to the friends and loved ones of the victim,” Grimsrud said in a statement on Friday.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to fix instances of Garaas' name that were misspelled.