Home child care provider gets jail time in baby’s sleep death

A former Minnesota home child care provider was sentenced to
45 days in jail Thursday for placing an infant in an unsafe sleep position that contributed to his death, and then trying to cover up her mistakes.
“If you had done what you were supposed to do, we wouldn’t be here,” Dakota County District Court Judge Michael Mayer told Beverly Greenagel of Eagan, Minn., before issuing the sentence. “You need to understand: Dane died because of your actions.”
Three-month-old Dane Ableidinger died on Aug. 18, 2011, after being placed face-down on a fluffy blanket on the floor of Greenagel’s home - in direct violation of the parent’s wishes and of safe sleep standards that were a requirement of Greenagel’s license as a family child care provider. Greenagel was watching 21 children at the time, more than allowed under state supervision requirements, when Ableidinger was found dead from what the county medical examiner later ruled as positional asphyxia.
Prosecutors and the grieving parents both said they hope the punishment in this case will send a message to other child care providers that they need to follow the rules regarding safe sleeping and supervision to keep infants from harm. The death was one of 11 in child care that year that prompted media attention and tougher regulations and state safety laws. Since that time, deaths have declined to a low of three last year.
Greenagel’s hesitance to accept responsibility was one reason why the case languished long after Ableidinger’s death and after the Dakota County Attorney’s Office filed charges in July 2012. Even after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter, Greenagel, 66, expressed reservations in a pre-sentencing interview about whether she was responsible - which not only delayed her sentencing but prompted the prosecution to increase the amount of jail time from 30 to 45 days in the plea agreement.
Facing toward the judge and away from Greenagel, the baby’s parents discussed the stress and anxiety they have suffered since losing their son. Stephanie Ableidinger said it was a twisted feeling to have been so worried about Greenagel the day after her son’s death - at first believing she did nothing wrong - only later to learn that she had placed her son in danger. Greenagel also tried to cover up her mistakes by folding the bloodied blanket on which the baby slept, and telling her 13-year-old helper to tell investigators that Ableidinger had been sleeping in a crib, according to reports.
“It has been 945 days since my heart has felt whole,” said the mother, who now takes medications for seizures and panic attacks that she suffered after the death.
While the jail time is substantially lower than recommended under sentencing guidelines for the felony charge, Greenagel agreed to several other conditions - including that she give a presentation to other child care providers on every August 18 for the next 10 years on the need to follow safety guidelines.