Pueblo County reaches $6 million settlement in child abuse death of toddler in foster care
Pueblo County Commissioners have agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of Aiden Seeley, a 15-month-old toddler who died in September 2020 from injuries allegedly sustained from abuse while in foster care in a Pueblo West home.
The settlement, approved by the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 27, states that Pueblo County disputes Aiden's biological parents' claims against the county in relation to his death, but agreed to settle out of court to avoid significantly higher litigation costs.
The settlement says "the release and settlement of all claims in this matter is in the best interest of Pueblo County and the parties involved."
The agreement calls for no admission of wrongdoing by Pueblo County and a complete release of Pueblo County from any claims by the child's parents along with the seven-figure payment.
Seeley was placed with foster mother Dacey Spinuzzi, 32, on July 23, 2020, when he was just over 13 months old. He joined three other foster children and Spinuzzi's biological child with her boyfriend Ramondo Jones, 36, who has been charged with alleged first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, in connection with the toddler’s death.
Spinuzzi pleaded guilty on Sept. 23 last year to a felony count of accessory to a crime resulting in the death of the child while in her care. She is due to be sentenced in April.
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An attorney representing Seeley's biological parents declined to comment on the settlement.
During the meeting approving the settlement, Commissioner Garrison Ortiz praised Pueblo County Department of Human Services, the department in charge of Seeley's placement and care.
"We really appreciate the work that you do in every division," Ortiz said.
"There are certainly not black and white circumstances that you deal with, they are tough circumstances. You deal with human life, that's the nature of what you do and we just hope that you know and that all of your staff know that we recognize you've made a tremendous amount of progress in all areas of service delivery."
Spinuzzi admitted in court to lying to the Pueblo Police Department to protect Jones, despite knowing he had seriously hurt the toddler.
At the time of Seeley's placement in Spinuzzi's home, Jones had a no-bond warrant for assault, which included domestic violence, and a second no-bond warrant for criminal mischief and menacing.
Jones pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge related to Seeley's death. His jury trial is scheduled to begin in April.
The other foster children were removed from Spinuzzi’s care following Seeley's death and were placed in protective custody. Spinuzzi's biological child was placed in the care of relatives.
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Contact Chieftain reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County reaches $6M settlement with family of Aiden Seeley
