GLEN ROSE — Witnesses say a mother confessed to putting her toddler in an oven, according to the Somervell County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities said late Thursday night they were called to a residence where a toddler was reported to have suffered burns. Upon their arrival, deputies talked with witnesses who said 35-year-old Tasha Shontell Hatcher told them she placed her 2-year-old child in the oven.
The child was transported to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, and then taken by air ambulance to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. She suffered second and third degree burns.
Arutro Villa lives directly next to Hatcher about three miles outside of Glen Rose.
"They always seemed playful together," he said.
But on Thursday evening, as he mowed his lawn, he says he noticed loud music and Hatcher acting strangely, making gestures and signs.
"It was unusual," he said.
The mother has been charged with serious bodily harm to a child and is being held on a $300,000 bond.
Authorities say Sommervell deputies, Texas Rangers, and Child Protective Services are still investigating the case.
A spokeswoman from CPS said the child will be placed in their custody and then foster care when she is able to leave the hospital.
Somervell County is located about 53 miles southwest of Fort Worth in Texas.