Woman takes plea deal in infant’s death at unlicensed Sedalia daycare
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
SEDALIA, Mo. — A Sedalia, Missouri, woman has pleaded guilty in the death of an infant at an unlicensed daycare.
Ashley Kratzer pleaded guilty in late December to first-degree child endangerment in Saline County court.
A Saline County judge sentenced Kratzer to 5 years of supervised probation as part of her plea.
The charge stems from the death of a 4-month-old boy in December 2021. Sedalia police were called to a home regarding an infant that was unresponsive.
2 killed in wrong-way crash involving robbery suspect; NB I-435 reopened
When the first officer arrived on scene, no one answered the door. He entered the home due to it being a medical emergency where there were several children in the living room, court records say.
Kratzer could be heard yelling from the back room. When the officer went back, the infant was on the floor laying on his back and Kratzer said, “I don’t know what do do,” prosecutors said.
The officer attempted CPR until the Sedalia Fire Department arrived. The 4-month-old later died at a local hospital.
Kratzer told police she put the baby in a playpen around 11 a.m., but he didn’t immediately go to sleep. When she went back around 2 p.m. to check on him, she said he was paler than he should have been, court records say.
The Sedalia woman called her mother who then called 911 while Kratzer called the infant’s mother, charging documents said. Kratzer said she didn’t know what else to do because she’d never had something like this happen.
FOX4 newsletters: Get the latest news delivered to your inbox
Court records say she claimed to be a state-certified facility, as well as CPR certified, but later admitted her certifications had expired years ago. Kratzer also didn’t attempt any lifesaving actions when the infant was found unresponsive, prosecutors said.
Pettis County prosecutors also originally charged her with involuntary manslaughter and operating a childcare facility without a license, but those charges were dropped. Kratzer’s attorneys previously requested to move the case to another county.
The court also notified the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division of the plea, and Kratzer will be listed on the agency’s registry for child abuse or neglect.
