Nebraska mother gets jail time after baby with CP dies from seizures

From The Omaha World-Herald:

An Omaha woman was sentenced Dec. 29 to 270 days in jail on several child neglect charges that stemmed from an investigation into her infant daughter’s death.

Douglas County District Judge Joseph Troia sentenced Crystal Beasley, 25, to the jail term, denying her attorney’s request for probation.

Beasley came under authorities’ scrutiny after her 5-month-old daughter, Precious, died in January of seizures related to cerebral palsy.

Authorities investigating the infant’s death found Beasley’s five other children filthy and with little food, Troia said. Police also found cocaine in the house.

AdvertisingBeasley told the judge that she took the cocaine as an “upper” because she was a single mother trying to raise six young children — three who were in school and three who were in day care.

She said her children weren’t bathed that day because they had planned to stay in the house all day. Then tragedy struck: Her daughter had to be rushed to the hospital.

Beasley has relinquished her parental rights to the children, said her attorney, Assistant Public Defender Steve Kraft. Kraft said Beasley had one of the worst upbringings he has seen — and has suffered from the death of her daughter.

Beasley told the judge that she did not let her children go hungry or unbathed. She said she stopped giving Precious medication for her seizures because the medication wasn’t working and her daughter wasn’t eating. She said she had called her doctor to try to get Precious admitted overnight — and couldn’t get it done.

“I truly loved my kids,” Beasley said. “I would like to get them back one day.”