Woman admits causing death of 3-year-old foster child

17 hours ago • By Greg Tuttle(11) Comments

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COLUMBUS — A Hardin woman admitted Thursday that she caused the death of a 3-year-old foster child who was locked in a hot car.

Lavonna Bird, 50, appeared before Judge Blair Jones and pleaded guilty to negligent homicide for the death of Jaren Wayne Blacksmith, one of three foster children in her care at the time, on Aug. 17, 2011.

Bird's trial in the case had been set to begin Monday in Big Horn County District Court. Bird changed her plea Thursday during a 20-minute hearing held in a Columbus courtroom where Jones has his main office.

Bird remains free on a posted $40,000 bond. Jones set a tentative sentencing date of Jan. 23.

Chief Deputy Big Horn County Attorney David Sibley said a plea agreement states that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 20 years in custody, with five years suspended. Bird's defense attorney will be free to recommend a lesser sentence.

During the hearing Thursday, Bird showed little emotion as she told the judge the facts in the case that caused her to plead guilty. Bird said she "negligently caused the death of a child by leaving him in a car for a long period of time while he was sleeping."

In court records, prosecutors said an autopsy determined that the Blacksmith boy died of hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature.

The boy was found in a car parked outside Bird's house in Hardin after she called 911 at about 6:30 p.m. to report that the child was not breathing.

Prosecutors said Bird left the boy in the locked car for several hours on a day when the outside temperature reached 93 degrees.

Bird initially told authorities that she left the boy in the back of the car because he was sleeping and he was a fussy child when he woke up. But Sibley said in charging documents that Bird gave different accounts of how long the boy was left alone in the car.

She also told investigators that she left the windows of the vehicle down, but the prosecutor said investigators determined that the windows were up when the child was in the vehicle.

There was also evidence in the vehicle that the boy had tried unsuccessfully to escape.

Autopsy results also showed that the boy may have suffered other injuries before his death, including bruising to his scalp and forehead.