FL - Tracey Nix, two of her grandchildren died in her care in separate incidents (7mo in hot car Nov '22 & 16mo drowned Dec '21)

[Lilibet]

Yikes!

I don't know whether to believe Grandma's medical cocktail, age, and possible dementia left her utterly incompetent, or if she just hated her grandkids for some reason.

I’d be inclined to believe that she didn’t have ill intent, but that her medication, age, possible mild dementia impacted her ability to concentrate on child safety. I expect she had good days and bad days or that her ability varies widely. This makes it hard for family to have the heart and even the type of information they need to treat her as incompetent. She should have been seen by a few doctors after the first child drowned. She never should have been left alone with a child if she wasn’t fully alert (not sort of napping). So many coulda woulda shouldas to agonise over for the rest of their lives.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Tracey Nix, 65, a former Florida school principal, allegedly told police that she "just forgot" seven-month-old Uriel Schock was in her car on a 90-degree day while she practiced the piano, according to a probable cause affidavit.

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Uriel died about a year after 16-month-old Ezra drowned in a pond while Nix was asleep, according to the incident report.
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MSN

It was not the first time that one of Nix's grandchildren died while in her car. In 2021, she was supposed to be watching her 16-month-old grandson Ezra, but she fell asleep. During that time, the boy left the house and drowned in a nearby lake.

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"If I'm objective — she needs to go to prison. As her daughter, it kills me to say it. As their mother, I demand it," Kaila said. "I will fight for them."

Two Toddlers Died While In Grandmother's Care Less Than A Year Apart | NewsRadio WFLA

Her seven-month-old granddaughter died in a hot car and her 16-month-old grandson drowned while she was watching him.

wflanews.iheart.com

 

[Awakening]

As others have posted, there’s got to be more to this then what is currently being reported.

Something is seriously amiss. Hopefully the truth will come out.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I hadn't seen Tracey's mugshot anywhere, so I googled her name to find it. It is not a linkable source. It is disturbing. Something is off with this lady. Imo.

I agree, she looks almost defiant.

Yikes!

I don't know whether to believe Grandma's medical cocktail, age, and possible dementia left her utterly incompetent, or if she just hated her grandkids for some reason.

Or her daughter? I would be very interested in their relationship dynamic growing up, compared to other siblings etc. Did Dad have a special connection with Kaila that she was jealous of?, Was she grandparents favourite?, Did she resent her daughter's happy family?.

I know it could be coincidence but it seems unlikely to me that both Ezra and then the child Kaila was carrying at the time of Ezra's death are both now dead through Grandma's negligence. Her story about Uriel's death doesn't ring true for me at all.

I also wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my new baby with my mother if one of my children had died in her care (unless of a natural cause, underlying illness etc). This is not meant to victim blame/shame at all, what child doesn't want to trust their mother?. I just wouldn't be able to do it.

All JMO

 

[Hoosgirl]

Wish we could see the actual affidavit, has anyone located it? According to this article, she actually moved her car!

Florida grandmother charged in hot car death of granddaughter, less than a year after grandson drowned while in her care

7-month-old Uriel died in 2022 after Tracey Nix said she "forgot" the baby was in the car. The year before, Uriel's brother died while Nix was babysitting.

www.nbcnews.com

She then drove to a restaurant for lunch with her friends, according to the documents. They left the restaurant around 1:40 p.m.

Security footage showed Nix put her granddaughter in a rear car seat and drive away, authorities said in the documents. Nix said she drove about 10 minutes to her home, parked the car and went inside to talk to her dog and practice the piano.

She told the Hardee County Sheriff's Office that it was not like "I was rushing in the house to do anything ... I just forgot," according to the documents.

The court filing says that Nix was waiting for her older grandson to arrive so they could go out to dinner. After 4:30 p.m., she took two cups of tea out to her vehicle for her and her grandson and then drove the vehicle to her backyard. Authorities said Nix's husband was in the backyard and the two talked for about 10 minutes, the documents state.

When the grandson arrived, Nix said all of a sudden it "came across her head" that Uriel was still in the car, the documents state. Nix's husband immediately pulled the baby out and began CPR while someone called 911.

 

[Hoosgirl]

According to the court website, there is a pending motion to allow her to leave the county (her bail restricts this) to receive 30 days of mental health treatment. The motion says she was Baker Act'ed on the day of the incident for 2 weeks at the Peace River Center.

ONLINE COURT RECORDS SEARCH

Unfortunately the file attachment is not allowing me to upload the PDF of the motion ... maybe someone else would have luck.

According to their website:
Peace River Center’s licensed and accredited inpatient receiving facilities also known as Crisis Stabilization Units are located in Bartow and Lakeland. The CSU offers short-term, intensive, psychiatric stabilization, evaluation, and discharges planning services to individuals in need of emergency treatment. These secure units provide individuals under Florida’s Baker Act (mental health commitment law) with services including group counseling, medication management, recovery education, discharge planning, referrals, and family education. Individuals are assessed and may be admitted voluntarily or involuntarily until the mental health emergency is stabilized and continuing care referrals are made. The average length of stay from time of admission to discharge is typically less than four days; however, there are exceptions.

Crisis Services - Peace River Center

Peace River Center has multiple ways for individuals to access our 24-hour crisis services including via phone, walk-ins and mobile response.

www.peacerivercenter.org

 

[ifindedout]

According to the court website, there is a pending motion to allow her to leave the county (her bail restricts this) to receive 30 days of mental health treatment. The motion says she was Baker Act'ed on the day of the incident for 2 weeks at the Peace River Center.

ONLINE COURT RECORDS SEARCH

Unfortunately the file attachment is not allowing me to upload the PDF of the motion ... maybe someone else would have luck.

Here it is:

 

[Hoosgirl]

Link to a Facebook post by perp, presented without comment.

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www.facebook.com

 

[mickey2942]

There is something very wrong here. Sad for the victims in this case.

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

When my first was born, my mom told me to put my purse on the floor in front of the car seat. I wasn't used to taking the baby everywhere; but I would notice if I didn't have my purse, so I would remember.

I don't know if her advice was necessary, but I did follow it for a while, and I never forgot the baby. Like every parent, I formed the habit of constantly tracking her location and it was second nature once the others were born.

Mine are grown and gone for years now, and I'm no longer in the habit of watching, listening, monitoring...anyone or anything.

If someone put a small child in my care tomorrow, I would HOPE those old habits would return almost immediately but...well, do they?

Is it a permanent skill like riding a bicycle? Is it a "use it or lose it" skill like playing a musical instrument? Does anyone here know?

 

[Marysmith]

First of all that was a very long hair appointment but certainly they can be that long.
I’m thinking this lady has dementia and hasn’t been diagnosed yet… I hope it’s nothing sinister.
One of my best friends brother was watching her child and he drowned - he almost died. It was so, so hard for her to forgive him but she did however she never left any of her children in his care again. In his case he just wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize I think what a young child was capable of.

 

[fred&edna]

Watching some interviews, etc, I found myself wondering if issues extend beyond TN? I don't know. Very strange circumstances, behaviors and actions. I'm not sure I'd ever trust myself after such a serious death.

 

[Marysmith]

I do get wanting to trust again…

 

[seasideForest]

I'm no longer in the habit of watching, listening, monitoring...anyone or anything.

If someone put a small child in my care tomorrow, I would HOPE those old habits would return almost immediately but...well, do they?

Is it a permanent skill like riding a bicycle? Is it a "use it or lose it" skill like playing a musical instrument?

Not having had children, I've never been in the habit of monitoring to the degree you would with your own children, like having an ear listening at night even when you're asleep. However I'm not sure if it is a skill at all. I've looked after friends' children including small babies and when doing so I'm very much focussed on them. For me it comes naturally to be focussed on this helpless little creature I'm looking after. Isn't that hard-wired in us somehow - maternal/paternal feelings, which are also activated for any human babies you're interacting with and for furbabies? Well obviously not considering the cases you read about on WS...

Even if distracted for a short time which I suppose might lead you to forget a baby in the car for several minutes or even 10, I cannot imagine going about my day and never remembering the baby again. I do sometimes get distracted in daily life and forget my shopping bags or bike helmet etc and have to go back for them, but I still cannot begin to imagine how this person managed to fall asleep while looking after one baby and then months later forget the other for hours. I would think after the first case, she would have been hypervigilant around the second baby. I just can't imagine how having allowed one to die on her watch, she could have been so utterly unfocused on the other that she forgot about her for hours on end. I was always worried I might go the vet's and forget my furbabies at home or on the bus, but that never happened. Why not? Realising that wasn't the occasion to forget living beings somewhere, all my faculties would be focussed on not doing so! Leaving inanimate objects somewhere is a different kettle of fish because IMO I don't have a emotional connection with them, not the kind you have with children. That's what I can't fathom in this case. How on earth could this woman allow herself to become so distracted TWICE and in the case of her own grandchildren? Sorry for being repetitive but this case leaves me spluttering. MOO JMO

ETA: Sry for maybe not answering all your questions UrsulaWren, but I just got writing and couldn't stop.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Not having had children, I've never been in the habit of monitoring to the degree you would with your own children, like having an ear listening at night even when you're asleep. However I'm not sure if it is a skill at all. I've looked after friends' children including small babies and when doing so I'm very much focussed on them. For me it comes naturally to be focussed on this helpless little creature I'm looking after. Isn't that hard-wired in us somehow - maternal/paternal feelings, which are also activated for any human babies you're interacting with and for furbabies? Well obviously not considering the cases you read about on WS...

Even if distracted for a short time which I suppose might lead you to forget a baby in the car for several minutes or even 10, I cannot imagine going about my day and never remembering the baby again. I do sometimes get distracted in daily life and forget my shopping bags or bike helmet etc and have to go back for them, but I still cannot begin to imagine how this person managed to fall asleep while looking after one baby and then months later forget the other for hours. I would think after the first case, she would have been hypervigilant around the second baby. I just can't imagine how having allowed one to die on her watch, she could have been so utterly unfocused on the other that she forgot about her for hours on end. I was always worried I might go the vet's and forget my furbabies at home or on the bus, but that never happened. Why not? Realising that wasn't the occasion to forget living beings somewhere, all my faculties would be focussed on not doing so! Leaving inanimate objects somewhere is a different kettle of fish because IMO I don't have a emotional connection with them, not the kind you have with children. That's what I can't fathom in this case. How on earth could this woman allow herself to become so distracted TWICE and in the case of her own grandchildren? Sorry for being repetitive but this case leaves me spluttering. MOO JMO

ETA: Sry for maybe not answering all your questions UrsulaWren, but I just got writing and couldn't stop.

All of this!

Another thing that seems strange to me though is why didn't Kaila call or text to check how Uriel was doing? I always checked everything was OK when my Mum or anyone had my kids, and if one had already died on her watch? I would be constantly on the phone (well I wouldn't because I wouldn't have trusted her again and left my baby with her, but hypothetically speaking)

I wonder if Kaila did check and that's where things get much more complicated?.

 

[Allabouttrial]

When my first was born, my mom told me to put my purse on the floor in front of the car seat. I wasn't used to taking the baby everywhere; but I would notice if I didn't have my purse, so I would remember.

I don't know if her advice was necessary, but I did follow it for a while, and I never forgot the baby. Like every parent, I formed the habit of constantly tracking her location and it was second nature once the others were born.

Mine are grown and gone for years now, and I'm no longer in the habit of watching, listening, monitoring...anyone or anything.

If someone put a small child in my care tomorrow, I would HOPE those old habits would return almost immediately but...well, do they?

Is it a permanent skill like riding a bicycle? Is it a "use it or lose it" skill like playing a musical instrument? Does anyone here know?

I would go so far as to say I believe you're even more attentive when looking after someone else's child.

 

[mickey2942]

I don't know, my Mom routinely loses her keys, runs out of gas, forgets to pay bills, ADHD x 10, she has always been this way, but she sticks to kids like glue. I never felt like my kids were unsafe with her.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Ok so my grandson is not breathing and possibly dead, am I worried about changing out of my PJ's?

These grandparents stories are constantly contradicting each other.

 

[ifindedout]

So where was the husband in all this? I know that when the first child died, he was out at Walmart, but this time, was he in the house the whole time or part of the time? I would think he would ask, having already lost a grandbaby, questions like "Where's Uriel?" and "What room did you put Uriel in?" and that he'd be watching DW like a hawk to make sure it didn't happen again.

 

[Tealgrove]

I know you can’t really tell a lot from a picture but that mugshot caused me pause.

I’m not sure she realizes the seriousness of what was going on.

If that had been me, I’d be a complete mess and they would have had to hold me up for the photo.

She looks blank. Unconcerned. It doesn’t appear she is upset or had cried even.

Whoa!

MOO