NAMPA, Idaho — The mother charged in the death of her infant son appeared in court Wednesday, making her first in-person appearance since her arrest.
Allysen Armenta and Brian Lemke both face felony counts of injury to a child and failure to report a death in connection with the death of their baby, Benjamin. During the brief hearing, the judge set Armenta's next court date for February 4. She remains in custody with bond set at $500,000.
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Three women who say they raised concerns about the baby's safety before his death have reached out to Idaho News 6. They say they contacted both the Nampa Police Department and Idaho Health and Welfare, urging authorities to do a welfare check.
Call logs show those calls were made on December 14. Baby Benjamin was found dead two days later.
WATCH: Allysen Armenta appears in the court for the first time
An online petition with more than 500 signatures is now calling for changes to Idaho's child welfare system. Organizers are urging lawmakers to take up "Benjamin's Law" in the upcoming session, which they hope would "require immediate review and protective intervention when a child is born to parents whose parental rights have previously been terminated."
Court records show the couple had five children previously removed from their custody.
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A woman who adopted three of the couple's other children said she reported her concerns to child protective services. That mother said she was told the case was classified as priority 3, which required a home visit within five days. However, Nampa police said they did not know where to find the family.
A Nampa Police spokesperson said recent changes in Canyon County now require a judge's order to remove a child from a home unless there is immediate danger, a process they say can delay intervention.
The Department of Health and Welfare has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
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