10YO High Needs Girl Crushed To Death By Safety Bed She Was Zipped Into For 10 to 12 Hours With No Supervision

[Sugar Cookie]

Darcy Cross, 57, and Heather Cross, 49, have been charged with manslaughter following the death of their 10-year-old daughter with autism, who was allegedly crushed by her own bed after being left unsupervised for several hours, authorities said.

First responders said they arrived to find Heather “frantically performing CPR” on the girl, but told her to stop so they could take over using the defibrillator. But when the officer went to move the girl’s legs, he claimed they were “stiff” and that she was in “rigor mortis,” meaning the girl had likely been dead for several hours, per the affidavit.

Investigators also noted there was an "overpowering odor" consistent with urine and feces in the bedroom, which only had a safety bed inside and several soiled mattresses, the affidavit states.

Heather claimed to investigators the condition was normal and described her daughter as a "fecal painter," per the affidavit. Both of her daughters had autism and sleep disorders, she said, that led the parents to buy safety beds for the girls.

Heather told investigators she gave the 10-year-old a bottle and her daily medicine sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. before going back to sleep, per the affidavit. She said she woke up again around 9 a.m. and believed she heard the girls playing in their rooms.

Darcy, meanwhile, claimed to authorities that he went outside to mow the lawn around noon and came back inside around 4:30 p.m. to find his daughter dead, per the affidavit. He reportedly said the girl's head was pinned under the metal frame of the bed with her buttocks in the air, comparing it to the child’s pose in yoga.

"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.

But investigators allegedly found instead the "extremely high needs child was left alone for 10-12 hours with no supervision."

According to the affidavit, Heather allegedly told authorities she had never seen the bed frame broken or out of place — but investigators allege text messages show she sent pictures of the broken frame to Darcy two days earlier.

When investigators rebuilt the girl's bed after obtaining it through a search warrant, they found that the four metal poles intended to be welded to plates were all broken, "so nothing was holding the metal cage to the bed frame," per the affidavit.

A social worker who visited the family on Sept. 5 claimed Heather confronted her during the meeting after telling her that the bed enclosure for the older daughter could only be used at bedtime for sleeping.

Heather allegedly told the social worker to “get the f*** out," the affidavit states.

Following their arrests, Heather and Darcy's other daughter was placed in protective custody, per the affidavit.

Read more here

MSN

 

[Aedia]

So they were warned that the bed should only be used at bedtime?? Wow! That shows they absolutely knew there was a risk. How long would they go without even checking on her?!
That poor child likely suffered tremendously while dying. She probably was moving around out of boredom if she was stuck in there alone all the time and just happened to get herself stuck in the worst possible way.

I do wish to say one thing that is sometimes not taken well (and I'm not even sure if it's applicable here)....
Not everyone is suitable to be a special needs parent. Many people aren't suitable as parents for "normal" children! But, as admirable as it is to take on a huge responsibility, if you find yourself getting so fed up by your child's needs that you leave them alone for long periods because you can't mentally or physically handle them....research specialized group homes. Sometimes the best thing you can do as a parent is admit that you are not capable to handle your child's needs. Sometimes that is being a good parent.
I watched a documentary about a pair of parents that had to have their child put into a group home and later a specialized living (two big male nurses 24/7) in an apartment/house. Their autistic son was just so violent and their home looked like a tornado went through it. He would harm them and their animals. He destroyed the home & would put feces everywhere. They did everything they could before realising they just didn't have the physical/emotional ability. That's okay. Sometimes accepting your child needs more is the best you can do.

 

[cubby]

So they were warned that the bed should only be used at bedtime?? Wow! That shows they absolutely knew there was a risk. How long would they go without even checking on her?!
That poor child likely suffered tremendously while dying. She probably was moving around out of boredom if she was stuck in there alone all the time and just happened to get herself stuck in the worst possible way.

I do wish to say one thing that is sometimes not taken well (and I'm not even sure if it's applicable here)....
Not everyone is suitable to be a special needs parent. Many people aren't suitable as parents for "normal" children! But, as admirable as it is to take on a huge responsibility, if you find yourself getting so fed up by your child's needs that you leave them alone for long periods because you can't mentally or physically handle them....research specialized group homes. Sometimes the best thing you can do as a parent is admit that you are not capable to handle your child's needs. Sometimes that is being a good parent.
I watched a documentary about a pair of parents that had to have their child put into a group home and later a specialized living (two big male nurses 24/7) in an apartment/house. Their autistic son was just so violent and their home looked like a tornado went through it. He would harm them and their animals. He destroyed the home & would put feces everywhere. They did everything they could before realising they just didn't have the physical/emotional ability. That's okay. Sometimes accepting your child needs more is the best you can do.

That's what loving parents do, they realize that they've reached the end of their rope and they do what they have to do so the child is cared for but not a danger to himself and others.

What these people did was for the disability checks that these girls most likely got from the government. They didn't care about them, only the money and figured that the less they had to interact with them the best it would be.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

According to court documents, the couple’s two special needs children were prescribed safety beds for safe sleep during the night. The beds allow the parents to keep the children zipped into them. Investigators believe the victim, who was an extremely high needs child, was left alone for 10 to 12 hours with no supervision.

The criminal complaint alleges the children were kept zipped in the beds during daytime hours for confinement purposes and that one of the beds had a metal frame pole break away that appeared to land on the child’s neck. Investigators determined the four vertical metal poles for the bed were not secured to the frame with screws and were sitting loose within the bed frame, providing no safety. The bed was also found to be saturated with urine and feces.

The other child, who is 12 years old, has been placed into protective custody.

Pine River Couple Charged with Manslaughter in 10-Year-Old Daughter's Death

A Pine River husband and wife were charged in Crow Wing County Court today with felony second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of their 10-year-old daughter. 49-year-old Heather Cross and 57-year-old Darcy Cross also face one count of contributing to need for child protection or...

lptv.org

The complaint says the 10-year-old's bedroom was bare except for the safety bed, which she had used since she was 2 to 3 years old. The bed had a frame continuing up 4 to 5 feet and a covering, which the girl was unable to unzip. She was completely confined, documents say.

An investigator spoke with a doctor, who told her that the safety beds are designed for sleep, not confinement during the day. On a subsequent visit, an sergeant noticed the 12-year-old girl was zipped into her bed.

Investigators met with a medical supply technician, who provided the family with the bed in 2020 and installed it. The couple had ordered some replacement parts, but they had refused the help of a technician to fix the bed, according to the complaint. The technician said the bed had been broken for some time.

Charges say the parents receive financial support through a waiver program which pays them to care for their two daughters, as they have high needs. However, records showed that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 20, the husband had been at a casino 116 days, and his wife had been there 68 days.

Crow Wing County couple neglected daughter with autism who died while confined to bed, charges say

A Pine River, Minnesota, couple is accused of leaving their two daughters with autism alone and confined to safety beds for hours at a time until one was ultimately crushed by the bed and died.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[cubby]

Charges say the parents receive financial support through a waiver program which pays them to care for their two daughters, as they have high needs. However, records showed that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 20, the husband had been at a casino 116 days, and his wife had been there 68 days.

Yep I knew it, they didn't love or care for their daughters, it was simply the money, so they could gamble.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Yep I knew it, they didn't love or care for their daughters, it was simply the money, so they could gamble.

They should be charged with fraud.... yes group homes suck but at least these girls would have been able to interact with others and not be confined to their beds all day.

Also if/any judge re-instates their custodial rights to the surviving sister should be thrown off the bench.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A Minnesota couple is facing upgraded charges in connection with the death of their autistic 10-year-old daughter who died after being left unattended all day in a safety bed that broke and "crushed" her.

Heather Lynn Cross, 50, and Darcy Ronald Cross, 57, have now been charged with one count each of second-degree murder in the 2025 death of Cecilia Cross, court records show. Prosecutors allege that the couple unintentionally caused their daughter's death while simultaneously committing the felony of child neglect and endangerment.

The Crosses last year were charged with manslaughter in connection with Cecilia's death and child neglect over their alleged treatment of Cecilia's older sister, who also has autism.

The couple also face four additional counts of wrongfully obtaining assistance by false statements, concealment, or impersonation for allegedly collecting more than $5,000 in assistance for Cecilia and Cecilia's sister under false pretenses. The fraud charges stem from their surviving daughter's stint in protective custody, during which time her daily functioning was "significantly different than the behaviors reported" by the parents to obtain funds from the state.

"The overreporting of [Cecilia's sister's] behaviors and needs resulted in a substantial increase in the amount paid to Heather and Darcy Cross for the care of [Cecilia's sister] through the MnCHOICES program," the amended complaint states, referring to the program that determines one's eligibility for long-term support services. "The overpayments based on the misrepresentations made by Heather and Darcy exceed $20,000 per year from 2022 through 2025."

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Parents face new charges after autistic 10-year-old crushed to death by safety bed: Cops

Heather Cross and Darcy Cross face increased charges in the death of their autistic 10-year-old daughter who died after being left confined all day in a safety bed.

lawandcrime.com