Police: mother of dead toddler was warned about leaving child

[The Straight Story]

Police: mother of dead toddler was warned about leaving child

BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) -- A woman whose 2-year-old daughter died in an overheated car last month had left the girl unattended before and had been warned about the danger that created, according to a police report.

Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby had been told by a former administrator at her 5-year-old daughter's preschool that the younger sister shouldn't be left in the car by herself, the Union Township police report said.

A parent had complained about seeing the toddler left in a car during the winter. The former administrator told police that the event prompted the school to warn parents in its newsletter that no child should be left in a car unattended.

The Clermont County prosecutor said Tuesday that no charges would be filed against Nesselroad-Slaby, 40, in the Aug. 23 death of her daughter, Cecilia.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OH_TODDLER_DEAD_CAR_OHOL-?SITE=WBNSTV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Beausoir]

1. Horrible story. Matt Lauer was livid about it this morning. Couldn't understand why this woman was

not prosecuted. Lauer is a tool.

I feel horrible for all involved. What a ghastly situation.

[DangerDave921]

3. missing something

I'm missing something. Why shouldn't she be prosecuted for this?

[redqueen]

9. Cause under OH law, it has to be "reckless" endangerment.

They consider it an accident... so... it's just negligence.

I will NEVER fucking understand how it's understandable to FORGET about your own fucking CHILD.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. I'm with you. How do you just forget that you have left your

child in the car, strapped into a car seat, for the entire day? If she is that mentally deficient, she doesn't need to be raising children at all.

[redqueen]

12. I think some people have kids as accessories.

It's fucking disgraceful the way some people treat their own children.

[DangerDave921]

22. I did it

When my son was a newborn, I forgot him in the carseat when I went to a restaurant with him. As I was walking across the parking lot about 30 seconds later, it hit me and I ran back to the car. Just a total space-out moment. Plus, I wasn't used to having him around. At least that was my excuse.

[driver8]

4. Why is Lauer a tool?

I must have missed something.

A woman leaves her child in a hot car and the child dies. Not only that, but she had been warned about it, previously.

Why shouldn't she be prosecuted? Because she's a grieving mother?

Bullshit. Her neglect and stupidity caused the death of a child. It is horrible and ghastly...but she is to blame for her child's death.

[Beausoir]

10. No, I meant that Lauer is a tool just on general principles. Remember the Ann Coulter interview?

I just detected some whip-up-the-ratings false outrage this morning. I should have clarified.

Edit for spelling.

[Selatius]

2. What would've been the charge if the DA had decided to prosecute? Negligent homicide?

Manslaughter?

[The Straight Story]

5. Hard to tell, child endangerment though might be one they would use

as it covers a wide spectrum.

[Selatius]

8. I generally prefer manslaughter or negligent homicide, but that's probably because I'm pissed.

She was warned, but she didn't listen. That pisses me off.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. Felony child endangerment. /nt

[enlightenment]

7. How about

child endangerment resulting in death.

She had been warned before, she did it deliberately (repeated trips to the car negates the "I forgot" defense) - there is NO excuse for it. None.

I'd like to see her charged with premeditated murder.

[LeftCoast]

13. I'm glad no charges will be filed

What possible good could come of punishing her further?

[Beausoir]

16. Social Services is investigating whether her 5 year old daughter should be taken away from her.

Terrible.

[acmavm]

14. Whoa! This woman is in the wrong profession...

<snip>

The woman forgot she left the toddler strapped in a car seat when she went to work as an assistant principal at Glen Este Middle School, about 20 miles east of Cincinnati, authorities said. The child's body was discovered more than seven hours later, after outside temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees.

[StarryNite]

15. Here in Arizona a police K-9

officer was just charged with animal cruelty for leaving his dog to bake out in his car for almost 13 hours. It was 115 degrees that day. He said he forgot the dog was in the car. Some of the things he did during the time the dog was in the car was to take a nap and go out to dinner with his wife. He could face 6 months in jail if he is found guilty.

[YOY]

18. Actually isn't that dog technically a cop as well?

I mean if one kills or endangers a K-9 unit isn't it a greater crime than doing this to a normal non-working dog?

Just curious if anyone knows.

[StarryNite]

20. That's what I thought too.

[AlCzervik]

17. another link here---

Mom's lawyer: No favors
BY BARRETT J. BRUNSMAN | [e-mail]
BATAVIA – Some of the public debate over the death of 2-year-old Cecilia Slaby focuses on her mother’s lawyer, R. Scott Croswell III, a Clermont County commissioner.

Callers to talk radio and The Enquirer, as well as some people who have posted messages on Enquirer.com, wonder if Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby avoided charges in the death of her daughter because Clermont County Prosecutor Don White is beholden to Croswell.

“That’s absurd,” Croswell said Thursday. “Anyone who would raise that issue is sadly uninformed. They either don’t understand the facts, they don’t understand the law or they … just want to lash out.

more at link

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Avis=AB&Dato=20070906&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=309060002&Ref=AR&template=printpicart

[gollygee]

19. It is possible to just simply accidentally leave your child in the car

I don't think all parents who leave their kids in cars accidentally are guilty of manslaughter. Sometimes it is just a horrible accident. When people have kids, they don't become all-knowing all-remembering perfect people. They're still just people.

The fact that she was apparently reminded about this does make her have a higher possibility of being truly criminally negligent though. I'd have to learn more.

But I hate when people say, "How can someone leave their child in the car? They just have kids as accessories." If someone leaves their kid in the car on purpose, fine. But *if* this was a true accident, then it was an accident. When you get off your normal routine, if the kid falls asleep in the car and is silent, you could just simply forget. It's a terrible thing to forget, but it would still be an accident. Kids suffer all kinds of accidental deaths. Half of being the parent of a toddler is following behind keeping your child from getting killed in some way.

Edited to add - I want to re-state that this particular case isn't typical in that this mom had been warned about this before so I see her as being more likely to deserve charges. But, in general, these kinds of deaths are often truly accidental and I don't think when they're truly accidental charges should be brought against the parents.

[Beausoir]

21. It's a nightmare scenario. There was just another one where both parents were doctors...

Mom strapped the baby into dad's car in the morning because it was his turn to take baby to daycare. But dad didn't notice the baby and drove to work. Tragic outcome.

Please, god, don't let me make any mistakes with my kids. I can't imagine the horror.

ETA: Apparently this woman has a history of leaving her baby in the car. AND....she actually moved her SUV during one point of the day...and completely missed the baby in the backseat. Good god.

[renie408]

23. Thanks...you made me stop and think.

My initial reaction was that anybody that could 'forget' their kid in a car was a horrible person. But last year I got halfway to the school one hectic morning and realized I didn't have the kid in the car. I imagine that given the right circumstances, it wouldn't be that hard to forget and leave a kid in the car. I would also bet it happens all the time, but the only time you hear about it is when a kid actually dies.