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Glendale Officers Rescue Toddler From Smoke-Filled Home, Mother Charged With Child Abuse

Released body-camera footage showing the rescue also highlights investigators' finding that the mother was severely intoxicated.

Overview

  • The rescue occurred Saturday, Aug. 1, when officers entered a smoke-filled home and found a 2-year-old strapped into a car seat and the mother unconscious on the floor.
  • Body-worn camera video released Tuesday shows officers removing the nearly unresponsive toddler from the car seat and dragging the uncooperative mother outside as they searched the house.
  • Investigators determined the smoke came from a burned pizza left in the microwave and said a 7-year-old in the home called the children’s father, who then called 911.
  • Court and police records identify the mother as Kallien Mia Heathman, report a blood-alcohol level of 0.379, and show she was booked on one count of child abuse with a $10,000 cash bond.
  • Both the toddler and Heathman were taken to a hospital for evaluation, medical conditions have not been publicly released, and the case raises immediate custody and criminal-procedure questions for local courts.