Mother speaks out after children's grandmother arrested for murder and cruelty, "What made her snap?"
A mother is speaking out about her infant son's death after his grandmother was charged with his murder.
BROUSSARD, La. (KLFY) – A mother is speaking out about her infant son's death after his grandmother was charged with his murder.
According to Broussard Police, Tammy Clause, 49, is responsible for his death and also critically injuring her 2-year-old grandson. Clause is charged with second degree murder and second degree cruelty to a juvenile. She is being held in the Lafayette Parish jail with a $300,000 bond.
The children's mother, Rachel Hebert, says she hopes Clause spends the rest of her life in prison. Hebert says her infant son died of malnutrition and dehydration. When police found the children, she says her 2-year-old son was also hours away from death. Broussard Police say it appears the two children were not given food or water for over a week.
Their mother says she never expected their paternal grandmother to do this. "It breaks my heart now that he's crying in a hospital bed, and he should be at home," Hebert said alongside her two-year-old son in the hospital. "The fact that I have to bury my little infant breaks my heart even more. I just thought to myself, 'How could their grandmother do this?' What caused her to do something like this? What made her snap.?"
Hebert says she dropped her 10-month old son, Hudson, and 2-year-old son Tyler Jr., off at their grandmother's house on Mother's Day. After eight days of no calls or texts from Clause and several phone calls to police, Hebert made the two-hour drive from Denham Springs to Clause's home in Broussard.
Hebert says Clause wouldn't open the door, and when police broke in, they found Hebert's 10-month-old son deceased. She says the children's grandmother had taken care of the two young boys multiple times in the past and never expected her to harm her grandsons. "I thought she really loved those children. I really thought," Hebert said, holding back tears.
Doctors say her 2-year-old son was also hours away from death after suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.
She says she'll never forget what a detective told her when the children's grandmother, Tammy Clause, was arrested hours later. "He looked at Tammy and arrested her, told her the charges of second degree murder and second degree cruelty to a juvenile, and all she said was, 'Okay.' That is literally all she said, no remorse whatsoever," Hebert added.
She says she believes Clause was home the entire week with her children and says this was not a case of neglect. "I truly believe that this was flat our murder," she said.
Hebert's 2-year-old son is still in the hospital but is recovering and is expected to live. If you'd like to help Hebert and her son, you can message her on Facebook or reach out to her at 225-788-2443.