MO SEDALIA — Multiple charges have been brought against a 32-year-old Sedalia, Missouri woman in relation to the death of an infant in a non-licensed daycare in December.
Ashley Nichole Kratzer was accused by Pettis County prosecutors earlier this month with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, and running a childcare business without a licence.
On December 7, 2021, just after 2 p.m., Sedalia police were called to a home for a report of an unconscious baby.
No one was at the door when the first officer arrived on the scene. There were several kids in the living room when he entered the house because of the medical issue.
From the back room, Kratzer’s ranting could be heard. When the police returned, Kratzer was saying, “I don’t know what to do,” and the victim was on the ground lying on his back.
Until the Sedalia Fire Department arrived, the officer tried CPR.
After being transported to Bothwell Regional Health Center, the 4-month-old was ultimately declared dead.
The infant was put in a playpen in the middle of the room, and the babysitter, Kratzer, confirmed that he rolls around when he sleeps. Around 11 a.m., she lay the boy down for his nap, but he didn’t fall asleep right away. According to her, he usually naps for a few hours at a time.
When other kids started waking up from naps around 2 p.m., she went back to change him and saw that he was darker than he should have been. Kratzer then dialled her mother’s number, who in turn dialled 911, while she dialled the baby’s mother. She continued that she had never experienced anything like this and didn’t know what else to do.
Kratzer said he didn’t have any health problems, but he had recently been congested and had been to the doctor before.
However, she then said that this was usual for him as he is a “fussier baby” as his mother “spoils” him because he is her first. She said she had fed him before putting him down for his nap because he was being fussy. She said that although his mother “holds him and stuff,” she can’t do it as much since she has other children to take care of.
Because she doesn’t want the infants to sleep on the cold pad, Kratzer informed investigators that she leaves a blanket unfastened in the playpen.
When the newborn was discovered unresponsive, the woman claimed to be a state-licensed facility and to be CPR certified, but she later acknowledged that both of those credentials had long since expired.
The baby’s parents told police that at the time of the event, he was recovering from bronchitis.
The victim’s parents denied that he had rolled over and said that the only time he could lift his head was when he was briefly on his stomach. His parents reported that while he was simple to put to sleep, he didn’t stay asleep for very long. The mother said that she had never picked him up and discovered him lying on his stomach.
In addition, the parents claimed that they had paid for December 2021 just before the baby passed away. The day after the child died, Kratzer cashed the cheque, and when the mother went to change it, she found out.
The baby’s parents have sued Kratzer for wrongful death and are asking for a jury trial.
She was released from custody on August 18 after posting a $10,000 cash bond. On August 30, 2022, she is due in court at 9 a.m.
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