Minn. Mom Allegedly Kills 13-Year-Old Daughter with Special Needs by Silencing Alarm on Medical Device
Stearns County Jail
A Minnesota mother is accused of tampering with her special-needs daughter's medical equipment, killing her.
Elise Nelson, 35, is charged with second-degree murder for the June 21 death of 13-year-old Kylie Christine Larson.
In an online obituary, the girl's family called Kylie -- a student at Paynesville Middle School -- their "gift from God."
"Kylie enjoyed being outside and moving around, whether it be spinning around in her chair, going for walks with friends and family, or traveling to new places. She loved spending time with her family and going for boat rides," her obituary read. "Her fellow schoolmates looked forward to pushing her around in the halls and laughing with her. You saw her sweet soul and smile in her eyes."
Kylie had various lifelong medical conditions including cerebral palsy, developmental delay and respiratory failure, Fox9 reports.
Nelson was the only person home when her daughter, who required 24-hour medical care, died— allegedly telling police the girl “flatlined” after her oxygen levels fell to 86 percent, according to court documents filed in Stearns County District Court, the Star Tribune, Fox9 and WJON report.
However, prosecutors believe between June 18 and June 21, Nelson intentionally deprived her daughter of proper medical care and tampered with her pulse oximeter device, silencing its alarm before ultimately turning it off.
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Nelson had been left alone with her daughter for four days, between June 18 to June 21, while her husband was on a fishing trip and her other daughter was staying with a family friend. During that time, Nelson allegedly manually altered Kylie's medical equipment so it would not sound an alarm when her oxygen and pulse levels dropped below 90 percent.
On the morning of June 21, data pulled from the machine showed its alarm limit was raised from 74 percent back to 90 percent before being turned off. Around that time, the family friend tried to drop off Nelson's other daughter but was unable to reach Nelson.
Hours later, when Nelson finally texted the family friend, she said she had been giving Kylie CPR for an hour and was waiting for the police. But investigators found Nelson allegedly waited about 20 minutes to call 911 after sending the text.
When police arrived at the family's home, they found Kylie lying on the living room floor, cold to the touch. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Kylie's death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, who found Nelson allegedly deprived her daughter of care, resulting in her death.
Nelson remains behind bars, according to jail records. Attorney information was not available Friday.
