In a horrifying incident, a mother from Alaska is accused of brutally murdering her five-year-old son, Bodhi, in her apartment in Fairbanks on October 13. Cedar Mae Sarten, 43, allegedly used a 20-pound weight to kill her son and then left a series of voicemails for her ex-partner, Robert Gagner, confessing to the crime.
According to court documents, Sarten urged Gagner to come to her apartment, saying, “Robert this is really bad you seriously need to come over here right now.” She then allegedly told him, “We don’t have a son no more.”
Authorities allege that Sarten beat her son to death with the weight and then stabbed his lifeless body multiple times. This occurred shortly after Gagner had dropped Bodhi off at Sarten’s apartment as part of a custody agreement.
Sarten, who has a history of criminal charges including reckless endangerment against her son, reportedly attempted suicide before contacting her ex-partner and dialing 911. Court papers reveal that she told the 911 operator that someone had “crashed” her son’s brain with a 20-pound weight.
First responders found Bodhi’s lifeless body on a bed in the apartment. Sarten was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of her self-inflicted injuries. From her hospital bed, she allegedly left another voicemail for Gagner, saying, “I know you’re mad as hell at me cause he died on my watch.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Bodhi’s loved ones paints a picture of a cheerful, kind-hearted child who loved to play and be a kid. The page describes him as always having a big smile on his face, loving to swing and play at his favorite park, and constantly asking his school friends to join him on the playground.
Sarten, who is still in the hospital, was charged with first-degree murder on Monday.