Rebekah Gasperino, a 32-year-old Albany, Oregon mother, killed her 3-year-old daughter by slitting her throat with a kitchen knife. The child was found dead in her crib alongside the knife after Gasperino was pulled over for a routine traffic stop at approximately 2:30 a.m. on a Saturday and subsequently admitted to killing her daughter. At the time of the murder, Gasperino and her husband were in the process of a divorce that began in October 2020, and the husband had filed multiple notices of immediate danger and custody petitions, including a statement to the Oregon Department of Human Services on April 1st expressing concern about the child's safety and noting that the mother had experienced a vision of the daughter being dead. Gasperino was charged with one count of Aggravated Murder.
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 2 states that Gasperino "reportedly admitted to killing her daughter by slitting her throat" and that officers found "the child dead in her crib alongside a kitchen knife." This is a clear inflicted injury by stabbing/cutting.
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?
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 2 states that Rebekah Gasperino, the biological mother, "admitted to killing her daughter by slitting her throat." She was charged with one count of Aggravated Murder. Document 1 confirms: "32-year-old Albany mother Rebekah Gasperino was arrested for aggravated murder of her 3-year-old daughter."
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)?
Document 2 states: "On multiple occasions, the husband filed for custody, saying he believed his daughter was in immediate danger. The most recent notice of immediate danger was roughly three weeks ago. In a statement delivered to the Oregon Department of Human Services on April 1st, the husband noted his concerns about the daughter's safety." The father's statement to ODHS regarding the child's safety constitutes a child protection report prior to the child's death.
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: "She's since been charged with one count of Aggravated Murder." Document 1 also confirms: "32-year-old Albany mother Rebekah Gasperino was arrested for aggravated murder of her 3-year-old daughter."
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?
Document 2 reports that the husband filed a statement with ODHS describing concerning behavior: "Rebekah has a spiritual vision in which our daughter is dead. She is unsure how our daughter is killed in her vision." While mental illness is not explicitly diagnosed, the husband's report of the mother experiencing visions in which her daughter is dead strongly implies mental health concerns that motivated him to file a notice of immediate danger.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Document 2 reveals a significant systemic concern: the child's father had filed multiple notices of immediate danger and filed for custody "on multiple occasions," including a statement to ODHS on April 1st noting his concerns about the daughter's safety. He specifically reported that "Rebekah has a spiritual vision in which our daughter is dead." The most recent notice of immediate danger was filed roughly three weeks before the child's death. Despite these warnings to both the courts and ODHS, the child remained in the mother's care and was subsequently killed. This raises serious questions about the responsiveness of the child protection system and custody proceedings.
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