An Indiana mom will spend the next 14 years in prison, convicted of neglecting her infant daughter. Tricia Cavanaugh, 34, pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury on September 3. The Level 3 felony conviction comes eight years after the death of her infant daughter. Cavanaugh, the self-proclaimed “super mom,” was reportedly co-sleeping when her 4-month-old daughter, Celina, suffocated.
According to a news release from the Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Cavanaugh allegedly took drugs on June 8, 2016, and then slept in the same bed as Celina. Fox 59 reported that the Department of Child Services had investigated the mother several times and warned her about safe sleep. Sadly, it appears she did not listen.
More from CafeMom: Parents Warn Against Co-Sleeping After Toddler Was Nearly Strangled To Death by Mom’s Hair
Police arrived and found Cavanaugh distraught.
Police responded to a call just after 9 a.m. on June 9, 2016, per Fox 59. When officers went into the home, they reportedly found Cavanaugh kneeling on the floor next to Celina. The baby was unresponsive, and the mother cried hysterically as first responders attempted CPR.
Cavanaugh tried to explain.
Per an arrest affidavit released by the prosecuting attorney, police spoke with Cavanaugh, who reportedly told them she had been breastfeeding Celina a few hours earlier and fell asleep. When she woke up, the baby was face down on the bed. Officers noted Cavanaugh appeared intoxicated, and there was a smell of burnt marijuana in the home.
Medics took Celina to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where staff attempted more life-saving measures, according to court documents. Tragically, Celina never woke up, and staff pronounced her dead less than an hour after officers came to her home.
Police obtained a search warrant for a legal blood draw for the mother.
She reportedly told an officer, “I know what happened, I shouldn’t have taken my Norco,” the affidavit noted. Officials took Cavanaugh to the same hospital as her daughter, where a blood test came back positive for hydrocodone, diazepam, nordiazepam, and oxycodone. Police then searched the family’s home and found more drugs, including some prescription pills not prescribed to the mother.
The investigation uncovered prior contact with DCS.
According to court documents, DCS spoke with Cavanaugh on multiple occasions about her lifestyle and her four children. She had tested positive for illegal drugs in the past and was warned about the dangers of co-sleeping. She repeatedly told a case manager she was “really bad” about co-sleeping but “understands why it’s risky.” Sadly, documents also show Celina was born addicted to opiates and had to go the NICU for neonatal withdrawal.
The hospital reportedly had given the mother important information about safe sleep, which she had signed before Celina’s discharge. The documents clearly read, “Do not sleep with the baby.”
More from CafeMom: Mother Charged With Homicide After 2 of Her Babies Die During Co-Sleeping
The mother will spend the next 14 years in jail.
It’s been more than eight years since her baby died, but Cavanaugh is finally in prison. Per the DA’s office, during her sentencing hearing, Cavanaugh called herself “super mom,” to which the judge responded, “I am not so sure about that,” Fox 59 reported.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said in a statement obtained by Fox 59 that he hoped this case would serve as a warning to other parents.
“This case is a prime example of the needless death of an infant due to unsafe sleep practices. I and others, have been sounding the alarm on unsafe sleep practices for years,” he said.
