Woman In St. Charles County Is Charged In Death Of Infant

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A woman from St. Charles County has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree assault in the death of a 10-month-old girl she was trying to adopt.

The woman, Doris J. Ravenscraft, 31, of the 800 block of Butterfly Lane in an unincorporated area of St. Charles County, was charged Monday in St. Charles County Circuit Court. Bond was set at $35,000.

Involuntary manslaughter, a felony, carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. Second-degree assault carries a lesser penalty.

The infant, Rachel Collins, died Feb. 9 at St. Louis Children's Hospital. An autopsy showed that she died of head injuries.

Ravenscraft and her husband, who was not identified, were in the process of adopting Rachel, authorities said.

The adoption proceedings were started in June, and Rachel had been seen routinely by Missouri Division of Family Services workers. Police said that Rachel was reported healthy on Feb. 7.

Later that day, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital from her home. She died two days later.