On Tuesday morning, a formal criminal warrant was issued for Sarah Leah Kortan, 30 of Red Lake Falls. Kortan was charged with Murder in the Second Degree, which carries a maximum sentence of forty years in prison. The criminal complaint alleges that Ms. Kortan, unintentionally cause the death of a two-month-old infant girl, at her residence in Red Lake Falls, on the afternoon of June 20. The death occurred as a result of injuries sustained during a physical assault and/ or by acts associated with the malicious punishment of a child under the age of four. The criminal complaint also reveals that the infant victim had multiple skull fractures. And retinal hemorrhages and detachment in her eyes. A forensic Pathologist at the University of North Dakota that conducted the autopsy, indicated that these injuries were not consistent with an accidental fall, but were sustained from inflicted trauma.
On Tuesday afternoon, Red Lake County deputies arrested Ms. Kortan in Red Lake Falls. She was transported to the jail in Crookston and will be held in custody until her first court appearance later this week.
UPDATE THURSDAY, JULY 5TH (3:21 PM)
Sarah Kortan made her initial court appearance earlier today in District Court in Crookston to face charges of Second Degree Murder. It was ordered that she be held in custody at the jail in Crookston, without the possibility of bail, until her next Court appearance on July, 11 at 9:00 a.m. in Red Lake Falls.
