Inset: Heath Rictor (Button Law Firm). Background: The Oregon home where cops say unlicensed day care operator Tralina Fulton was watching Heath Rictor when he fell into an animal trough and drowned (KTVZ/YouTube).
An Oregon day care operator "let a toddler wander off" and fall into a livestock water trough — where he drowned — while watching more than a dozen kids at her home without a proper license, according to the victim's family and police.
Tralina Fulton, 57, is charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and second-degree child neglect for the death of 20-month-old Heath Rictor, who died at Fulton's home in Crook County on Sept. 9, 2025, according to her indictment.
Speaking through their family lawyer Russell Button, Heath's parents Zachary Rictor and Dauna Rictor told Law&Crime in a statement Monday that there are "no words to describe the agonizing heartbreak" of losing their son in what they say was a "preventable death."
Fulton is accused of leaving Heath "unattended" in her backyard when he stumbled into the animal water trough and drowned, per her indictment. Police say her actions were done "unlawfully and with criminal negligence." She was allegedly watching 14 children at her home day care, which exceeds state regulations for unlicensed providers.
"What happened to Heath was a failure of basic child safety that should come as common sense," Button told the Central Oregon Daily News last week. "You don't let a toddler wander off alone for any period of time. You don't have a water hazard in an area where a little kid could drown and you don't watch more kids than you're safely capable of watching."
In a statement to Law&Crime, Button said, "When you assume the responsibility of caring for a toddler, there is no margin for error. Leaving a young child unsupervised, with access to a drowning hazard, while outnumbered by other children, is inexcusable negligence. This was Babysitting 101, and the failure to follow it cost a little boy his life."
Heath's parents said they hope Fulton's manslaughter case can "serve as a reminder of basic child care safety" and what to avoid.
"Parents must be able to trust that their children are being closely watched," the family said. "Caregivers should never take on more children than they can safely manage, and they must make sure children are never put in dangerous situations like our Heath was."
The 14 kids Fulton was said to be watching at the time of Heath's death were taken out of the home that day after it was discovered that she didn't have the proper license to watch so many children, according to the Prineville Review. Fulton allegedly admitted to caring for 14 children on the day Heath died, per the Review.
Oregon's Department of Early Learning and Care says the case is under investigation.
"We recognize the grand jury's manslaughter indictment was a crucial first step toward accountability and justice for our son," Heath's parents said in their statement. "We are grateful to the district attorney's office, law enforcement, and first responders for their diligent work to honor Heath's life. We place our trust in the legal process to get justice for Heath as we prepare for the arraignment on May 6."
Attempts by Law&Crime and the Prineville Review to reach Fulton for comment have been unsuccessful. Fulton's lawyer declined to comment.