A Tucson mother convicted of crimes in connection with the scalding of her daughter in bathtub water was sentenced today to 15 years in prison.
Samantha Osteraas’ adopted daughter was 5 years old in December 2016 when she suffered third-degree burns over more than 70 percent of her body.
At her trial, Osteraas, 30, testified that the child got into the bath on her own and then stayed in a dazed state.
The girl, now 7, told the jury her mother held her down in the tub, using a pink towel.
In October, a Pima County Superior Court jury convicted Osteraas of reckless harm and of failure to seek treatment within a reasonable time. On Monday Osteraas was sentenced to the prison terms as well as an additional 15 years of probation.
Doctors amputated the girl’s badly burned toes. She will need surgeries throughout her life to manage the scarring which runs from her chest down to her feet.
