A mother facing child abuse charges after her daughter was severely burned in a bathtub was attacked by two Pima County jail inmates, an official said.
Samantha Osteraas, who initially declined protective custody, had her life threatened, and she was punched and her hair pulled, said Lt. Elsa Navarro of the Pima County Sheriff's Department Wednesday.
The incident occurred Jan. 11 in the living area of a housing unit, said Navarro, who oversees the jail's special management housing.
Since then, Osteraas was placed in protective custody. She received medical treatment, but her injuries were not serious, Navarro said.
Osteraas was booked into jail Jan. 5 on two counts of child abuse after her 5-year-old daughter suffered third-degree burns to 80 percent of her body during a Dec. 29 incident, according to Pima County Superior Court documents.
"She was assaulted by a couple of inmates who saw the news, and told her it was retaliation because she hurt her child," Navarro said.
Osteraas reported the assault after it occurred, and detectives conducted an investigation.
The inmates involved were disciplined internally, each receiving days of solitary confinement to their quarters, said Navarro.
