Minnesota mom let disabled daughter, 13, die by switching off her oxygen alarm while father was away fishing
PAYNESVILLE, MINNESOTA: 35-year-old Elise C. Nelson, of Paynesville, was charged on Wednesday, September 23, in Stearns County District Court with second-degree intentional murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with her disabled daughter's death in June. Nelson had allegedly silenced the alarms coming from her 13-year-old disabled daughter’s pulse oximeter, an oxygen-monitoring device, allowing her to die. As per the Star Tribune, Kylie Larson had medical problems including chronic respiratory failure and severe developmental delay from a loss of oxygen at birth. She required 24-hour care and was unable to walk on her own or take care of herself.
According to the criminal complaint, Nelson allegedly silenced the medical device twice on June 19 before turning it off 11 hours later. Reportedly, at the time, Nelson’s husband was out on a fishing trip and their other children were not home. The device, which reportedly retains data of its operational history, suggests that Nelson silenced the alarm multiple times before calling 911 on June 21. Nelson also allegedly waited six hours before calling 911. Reportedly, when officers arrived, they found Kylie on the living room floor. She was declared dead at a hospital within an hour.
According to a report in CrimeOnline, the criminal complaint against Nelson read, “With the machine off, nothing monitored the child’s oxygen saturation levels or pulse rates.” Per the report, when first responders arrived, they found Kylie unresponsive on the living room floor, with pools of blood building up on the back of her legs. They said she had been dead for “quite some time” before they arrived.
Nelson reportedly told law enforcement that she heard the device alarm go off and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation for an hour before calling the authorities. However, officers at the scene said Nelson did not look as if she exerted herself for an hour while performing CPR.
Kylie’s Autopsy results from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office reportedly noted that Nelson had “deprived care resulting in death,” while also attributing the death to the aforementioned complications during birth. Nelson, who was booked into jail on Wednesday, appeared in court on Thursday, September 24. She will remain in custody in lieu of $350,000 bail before an October 8 hearing. As per the Star Tribune, the court records list no attorney for her as of yet.
Kylie’s parents reportedly sued in 2008 on their daughter’s behalf alleging medical malpractice by Affiliated Community Medical Centers and Rice Memorial Hospital in connection with Kylie’s difficulties at birth and were awarded $23.2 million by a jury. However, the defendants filed motions with then-Kandiyohi District Judge Donald Spilseth in opposition to that amount. The judge ordered both sides to mediation, and a settlement was reached. The terms of the settlement continue to remain sealed.
In her online obituary, Kylie was described by her family as “our gift from God... Her smile was so beautiful it radiated love and joy to all. Kylie enjoyed being outside and moving around, whether it be spinning around in her chair, going for walks with friends and family, or traveling to new places.” The obituary further said that Kylie was a student at Paynesville Middle School, where “her fellow schoolmates looked forward to pushing her around in the halls and laughing with her."