Mother arrested in child’s death

CANNON BEACH, Ore. – Police said the mother of a toddler found dead at a coastal Oregon resort has been taken into custody.

The Oregonian reported Jessica Smith was found about 15 miles east of Cannon Beach off a logging road. Police said a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted her vehicle there.

Police provided the information at a news conference late Sunday night.

Authorities had said earlier in the day that the mother of the toddler and a teen girl found seriously injured in a resort room was wanted on suspicion of murder.

The paper reported that Cannon Beach police Chief Jason Schermerhorn said the cause of death of the 2-year-old remains unknown after an autopsy. But it determined her death was a homicide.

Authorities had been looking for 40-year-old Smith, of Goldendale, Washington, since a housekeeper discovered the toddler and her 13-year-old sister Friday morning at the resort. Previously, officials wanted to ensure Smith’s welfare.

The teen had severe cut wounds, but authorities said she is expected to make a full recovery.

Smith and her children checked into the resort Wednesday, and there was no sign of forced entry, the chief said. The children’s father has cooperated with investigators and has been ruled out as a suspect, Schermerhorn has said. Multiple media reports citing court records say the couple had recently separated.

More than a dozen people from around Cannon Beach gathered Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil for the 2-year-old girl. One of the women who helped organize the vigil said they wanted to support the teen who survived and the community.