A Minnesota mother and father face manslaughter charges after their 10-year-old daughter with autism was allegedly crushed to death by her own bed while left unsupervised for hours.
Authorities arrested Darcy Cross, 57, and Heather Cross, 49, on Sept. 17, a little over three weeks after officers responded to their Pine River home on Aug. 25, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
First responders said they found Heather frantically performing CPR on her daughter but instructed her to stop so they could use a defibrillator. An officer who tried to move the girl’s legs said they were stiff and in rigor mortis, indicating she had been dead for several hours.
Investigators described an overpowering smell of urine and feces in the bedroom, which contained only a safety bed and several soiled mattresses. Heather told authorities this was normal and called her daughter a “fecal painter.” She said both daughters had autism and sleep disorders, which led the parents to buy safety beds for them.
Heather told investigators she gave the girl a bottle and her daily medicine between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. before going back to sleep. She said she later woke around 9 a.m. and believed she heard the girls playing. Darcy reportedly said he went outside to mow the lawn around noon and returned at 4:30 p.m. to find his daughter dead, her head pinned under the bed’s metal frame with her legs in the air “like a yoga pose.”
“Darcy reported it was not uncommon for the girls to be in their beds during the day and reported that he and Heather would generally check on the girls every couple hours,” the affidavit states. Investigators, however, allege the “extremely high needs child was left alone for 10–12 hours with no supervision.”
Heather also claimed she had never seen the bed frame broken or out of place. But investigators said text messages show she sent Darcy pictures of the broken frame two days earlier. When authorities rebuilt the bed under a search warrant, they found all four metal poles meant to be welded to plates were broken, leaving the cage unsecured.
A technician from the bed supplier told investigators the posts appeared broken for some time and that he had not returned to the home since installing the bed in 2020. He said the couple bought replacement parts but did not hire professional help for repairs.
A social worker who visited the family on Sept. 5 said Heather became confrontational when told the bed enclosure for the older daughter should only be used at bedtime. Heather allegedly told the worker to “get the f*** out,” according to the affidavit.
After the arrests, the couple’s other daughter was placed in protective custody. In addition to manslaughter charges, the parents face one count of contributing to the need for child protection or services, a gross misdemeanor. It is unclear if they have entered pleas or retained attorneys. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 1.
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