Two-month-old Miles Basellio was killed on June 10 in Boulder, Colorado by his mother, Anna Louise Englund, age 29, who was suffering from postpartum psychosis and major depressive disorder. While the child's father was in the bathroom, Englund became anxious, took the infant, and drove away from their north Boulder home. She strangled the child in the vehicle around noon, stating she did not want him to suffer in life as she had. She then attempted to take her own life, sustaining a self-inflicted laceration to her neck. Police located her car heading toward Boulder Community Hospital around 10:20 PM; officers rushed the child into the emergency department, but he was pronounced dead at 10:48 PM. Englund was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. She had reportedly visited Boulder Community Hospital twice in the weeks prior for postpartum mental health help.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Document 1 states: "She said she strangled the child in the vehicle around noon." Strangulation is a form of inflicted injury (choking).
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Document 1 states: "She said she strangled the child in the vehicle around noon and then intended to take her own life. When contacted later at the hospital, she had a small laceration to her neck, which she described as a self-inflicted wound." The mother killed the child and then attempted suicide, constituting a murder-suicide attempt.
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Document 1 states that the biological mother, Anna Englund, admitted "I killed my child" and confessed to strangling the 2-month-old. She is charged with first-degree murder. Document 2 confirms: "A witness told police that they saw the mother, 29-year-old Anna Louise Englund, take her 2-month-old infant and drive away."
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 2 states: "Englund was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of child abuse resulting in death." Document 1 confirms: "Anna Englund faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree murder - victim under 12, and child abuse resulting in death."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Both documents extensively reference the mother's mental health. Document 1 states: "Domino diagnosed Englund with major depressive disorder, which was described as a 'major illness.'" It also details: "Defendant reported having fairly significant sadness, hopelessness, guilt, weight loss, appetite change, sleep disturbance and loss of energy. Defendant also expressed feeling worthless." Additionally, Englund said "she hadn't been able to enter a deep sleep for roughly three weeks and 'did not believe she would survive the sleep problem.'" Document 2 states: "According to Basellio's dad, Englund struggled with postpartum psychosis and threatened to hurt herself and the boy" and "Englund visited Boulder Community Hospital twice in the past few weeks to get help during postpartum."
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Document 1 details a significant competency dispute: Dr. Marla Domino found Englund "not competent to proceed but is restorable within the foreseeable future," finding she "was not able to rationally assist her counsel, and therefore was incompetent." However, Judge Patrick Butler overruled this expert opinion, finding that "Defendant has the present 'ability' to communicate and assist her attorneys effectively but 'chooses' not to do so at all times." Englund expressed wanting only a life sentence, not wanting to work with her attorneys for any other outcome. The judge drew a distinction between inability and unwillingness to cooperate. Additionally, Document 2 notes the father reported Englund had visited Boulder Community Hospital twice in the weeks before the killing to get help during postpartum, which raises questions about whether the mental health system adequately addressed her crisis before the fatal incident.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.