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PA Foster Mom Admits To Strangling Infant

A North Whitehall Township foster mother has been sentenced to state prison for asphyxiating and strangling a 1-year-old girl in her care, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

A Whitehall Township police vehicle.

A Whitehall Township police vehicle.

Photo Credit: Facebook/Whitehall Township Police @WhitehallTownshipPD

Brenda Broadwater, 49, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a victim under 13 and endangering the welfare of children during a hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg on Dec. 3, 2024. Both charges are felonies. She was sentenced to serve 18 to 48 months in state prison.

The charges stem from a call to Pennsylvania State Police on Jan. 26, 2024, reporting a child in cardiac arrest at Broadwater's home on the 4100 block of Coplay Creek Road. A man told dispatchers that the child, identified as J.K., had been playing in a stroller and became entangled in a strap.

When troopers arrived, J.K. was unresponsive. CPR was performed at the scene, and she was rushed to Lehigh Valley Health Network – Reilly Children’s Hospital, where she was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Medical evaluations revealed mild anoxic brain injuries, ligature marks on her neck, and injuries to her lower lip. The injuries resulted in speech and coordination deficits requiring ongoing rehabilitation and therapy.

Investigators determined that Broadwater had pushed a blanket into J.K.’s mouth, improperly restrained her in a stroller, and left her unsupervised. Broadwater was fostering J.K. and two other children at the time.

J.K. was diagnosed with expressive aphasia and ataxia due to strangulation. The long-term impact of her injuries remains unclear.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer and Kristi Green and was investigated by Trooper Taylor Dietrich.

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