Tracey Nix, a 65-year-old grandmother who lives in Florida and is facing charges after the death of her granddaughter last fall, reportedly gave investigators some details of what happened that day.
As we previously reported, Kaila Schock, the mother of the baby who died, is demanding justice for her daughter.
Nix stands accused of forgetting Uriel Schock, her 7-month-old granddaughter, in a hot SUV, which led to the baby's death.
Now a few more details have been released on what might have happened the day Uriel died. But still, none of this makes sense to Kaila Schock.
Nix has been charged with aggravated manslaughter.
According to WFTS News, in November 2022, Nix allegedly left 7-month-old Uriel in her SUV on a hot day with the windows rolled up while it was parked outside her home.
Instead of bringing Uriel inside, Nix allegedly went inside her home in Wauchula to practice the piano, leaving the young baby in the car.
Temperatures outside reached 90 degrees, according to the news outlet.
According to the affidavit, Nix explained to the investigators that she “just forgot” that her granddaughter was in the car before she went inside, per WFTS.
Uriel had been in the vehicle with Nix all afternoon after Nix returning home from lunch with her friends.
She allegedly explained that she only remembered Uriel was still in the car when another one of her other grandkids got home, WFTS reported. Apparently, that reminded her that Uriel was left in the vehicle all afternoon.
Nix’s husband rushed out to the car and found Uriel in the back of their SUV, but she was unresponsive.
The grandmother’s husband, Nun Ney Nix, attempted CPR while awaiting authorities, according to WFTS. Unfortunately, Uriel was unable to be revived.
Since Nix has been charged, her attorney, William Fletcher, told WFTS that this case isn’t necessarily what it seems.
“Because somebody dies doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody has to pay,” he said. “This obviously was an accident, and the question was — is it culpable negligence?”
The loss hits Uriel’s mom hard, however, especially when she thinks of how her baby died.
“To think of the last moments of her life as a mother is gut-wrenching,” Kaila Schock said, per WFTS.
She had asked Nix to babysit her daughter so she could have time to get her hair done, and she should have been safe in her care. Not just because she was the baby’s grandmother, but she was also an experienced teacher and principal.
Sadly, leaving kids in cars can happen to anyone, even the most responsible caregivers.
“Over 1,051 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990," notes KidsAndCars.org. In 2022, 36 children died in a hot vehicle, according to the organization.
According to an expert that spoke with USA Today, forgetting kids in the car is the same mechanism that happens when we’re rushed and forget our coffee on the roof of our car.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only tragedy the family faced where Nix was involved in some capacity, which raises some serious red flags.
In 2021, Uriel’s brother, Ezra, who was 16 months old, also died while Nix was watching him, according to WFTS. She wasn’t charged in that incident because it was determined to be an accident that Ezra had wandered off while Nix was sleeping. He was later found in a pond near the Nix’s home.
Understandably, the kids’ mother, who lost two babies in less than a year — both while her kids were in Nix’s care — is demanding justice.
It’s unclear at this time if Nix has entered a plea to the charge of aggravated manslaughter in connection with Uriel’s death.
