Son 3rd Child to Die; Mother Charged

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. — A woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 3-year-old son last month, and the deaths of two other children in 1987 and 1988 will be investigated, officials said Friday.

Tammy Eveans, 23, of rural Brighton was arrested and charged Thursday after a three-week investigation, said Jersey County Sheriff Frank Yocom. Eveans is accused of killing her son, Richard Wesley Eveans, by placing her hand over his mouth and suffocating him.

Authorities say the woman had two other children who died in the past two years: 2-month-old Robert Wayne, who suffered a fractured skull on Aug. 25, 1987, after a reported fall, and 3-week-old Amy, whose Aug. 1, 1988, death was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome.