OH - Annabelle Richardson, newborn, found in shallow grave, Carlisle, 7 May 2017 #2

[Seattle1]

I just learned that both fire dept and PD are only about 3 minutes from Richardson home.

If BSR capable of cleaning the bath, digging pit, and moving a 20+ pound flower pot, I think she could have driven to either place, and would have been free of any criminal charges -- didn't even have to identify herself (presuming baby was alive).

Parents and brother apparently very sound sleepers -- nobody would even know she went out for a few minutes.

Not sure if Save Haven rules apply for still births. Restriction for abused children. Perhaps one could say I don't think my baby is breathing, and personnel could still accept the baby as DOA(?).

Based on this case, I think there should be a PSA about this...

ODJFS Online | Safe Havens

Ohio's Safe Havens for Newborns
What is Safe Havens for Newborns?
Not all women who get pregnant are ready to raise a child. Sometimes they see no options except to abandon the baby. Safe Havens provides a new option. It allows a birth parent to leave an infant (up to 30 days old) with:

• a medical worker in a hospital;
• a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization; or
• a peace officer at a law enforcement agency.

Who can take a newborn to a Safe Haven?

The birth parent (mother or father) can take a child to a Safe Haven. The law provides protection from prosecution only for the child 's parents.

If the infant is left with a person at one of these places, and has not been abused, the parent will face no legal consequences for making this choice.

Click here for the full brochure (PDF).
Click here for the Medical Information Form (PDF).
To order any of these publications, click here.

Click here for the full brochure: "For Birth Parents: For those who are thinking about making an Adoption plan".

Does the birth parent have to call before taking an infant to a Safe Haven?

No. A birth parent may take a newborn to a Safe Haven at any time until the child is 30 days old.

What information will the birth parent have to provide?

The birth parent is not required to provide any information, including his or her name. However, it would help the baby if the birth parent chose to provide basic health information. The birth parent will be offered a form to guide them in providing the most important health information.

What happens next?

If the baby needs medical attention, it will be provided. The professional staff person who accepts the baby will contact the county children services agency; and the baby will be placed in an adoptive home. There are many families who want to adopt a baby.

When a parent cannot care for an infant, leaving the baby at a Safe Haven may be the best choice for the child. If the birth parent is not sure about this decision, an adoption social worker can help by providing information on available options and services for birth parents and their babies. Information is also available:

 

[OldLadyBlues]

Yes. She's manipulative. Knows how to play the scared little confused girl. Something she likely had to develop to cope with her horror of a mother. And she has a horrible mother. Jury is going to feel that.

She's a cute little blonde with money. Not an urban kid no one cares about. Jury will relate to her. Give her every benefit of the doubt.

Culturally society views neonaticidal mothers with sympathy and generally can't accept they could kill their kids or will excuse the behavior and find mitigators.

So if there's room for reasonable doubt I believe jurors will dive to embrace it.

Maybe it will be hung on some counts. But I would take the odds of a full acquittal if I was a betting person.

Thank you for saying what you are saying because IMHO, this is an example of our two tiered justice system. If she escapes prosecution who is to say she will ever get the help she so desperately needs. She will always be her mother's pawn, daddy's little girl and both will never be mad at her and will always love her. Gawd that's sad!

 

[cherrymeg]

Unbelievable. Not that his grandchild died. Then again, in the interrogation room, he cared not one iota about a dead baby. “What a mess you’ve made...the Dr prescribed BC pills?...” etc., etc.

This must be a huge hassle for him and costing him a pretty penny for attorneys fees.

No one seems to have sorrow about the baby....

I doubt he has had much time to grieve or think about his grandchild when he has a living breathing daughter to worry about. He didn't find out about the pregnancy and birth until they were digging up his backyard. Not seeing or holding an actual infant or being aware of a pregnancy might make it hard to mourn someone he didn't know existed. Until a baby is safely born a lot of people are superstitious about planning too far ahead in case of a miscarriage or a stillbirth. By the time he found out his daughter gave birth the grandchild was dead. He possibly feels guilt over a lot of things.
I thought asking about the pills was a sign he cared about her pregnancy and was shocked anyone would prescribe BC to a pregnant woman.

 

[Mariposa]

I'm surprised the second doctor prescribed more pills after being told Skylar had the baby alone at home and was stillborn, without doing a thorough examination. It seems rather risky to the patient's health IMO. Also surprised she waited 2 days to talk to the other doctor about their patient giving birth to a stillborn alone and burying it in the yard.

She (second doctor) testified that Skylar resolutely refused a physical exam and the doctor wasn't going to push it especially since it was months after the birth. Some medical experts (including ACOG the top Ob Gyn org) think birth control pills are safe enough to even be OTC so I'm not too surprised she prescribed them without exam. Plus she probably thought the last thing this girl needs is to get pregnant again.

 

[razzledazzle]

I really don't want to see this girl walk. I do not believe for one second that the baby was stillborn. At the very least, SB knew the baby was in distress and did not alert anyone. IMO, that goes to child endangerment which is a felony. Because the baby died during the commission of a felony, involuntary manslaughter is supported; along with abuse of a corpse, because she threw her baby in a hole in the ground.

 

[iluvmua]

Skylar's father was testifying to a jury charged with deciding whether or not his daughter killed her baby. Would you really expect him to say the loss of his granddaughter was his biggest regret?

I'm sure he feels extremely guilty for allowing Skylar to be interviewed again by LE without an attorney. And for good reason. By emphasizing that regret, he is reinforcing for the jury his own belief- and possibly what some jurors believe: that Skylar's confession was coerced.

Her confession was not coerced.

LE are legally allowed to lie in order to get a confession

 

[mike balto]

Maybe she meant Caucasian when she said the baby was white.


Okay something else. For people who say the reason the baby wasn't burned because there was no accelerant? What about in this case? Here is a link from Forensic Files case where kitty litter was used and no accelerant was detected by the dog.

(I'm not remembering if links are allowed or not)

Forensic Files - Season 11, Ep 39: Fired Up with English subtitles (closed captions) and transcript

 

[kim.kitchenstupman]

I really don't want to see this girl walk. I do not believe for one second that the baby was stillborn. At the very least, SB knew the baby was in distress and did not alert anyone. IMO, that goes to child endangerment which is a felony. Because the baby died during the commission of a felony, involuntary manslaughter is supported; along with abuse of a corpse, because she threw her baby in a hole in the ground.

Me either. Just thinking about a not guilty verdict makes me cringe. The fact that people are taking up for her or believing her story really astonishes me. There is so much evidence that I would definitely say Guilty and I would stick to my guns. Hoping there are smart and can see through her lies jurors!

 

[Seattle1]

I doubt he has had much time to grieve or think about his grandchild when he has a living breathing daughter to worry about. He didn't find out about the pregnancy and birth until they were digging up his backyard. sbm

Except dad was asked this question (biggest regret) today -- more than two years later!

Dad testified about the extended family gatherings, and even provided photos of them celebrating.

One could expect he regrets both not calling a lawyer, but also his daughter tragically giving birth alone to stillborn Annabelle, and that they lost a new member to their loving, welcoming family (i.e., daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc).

I think it's pretty clear nobody wanted this baby.

MOO

 

[Spellbound]

Her confession was not coerced.

LE are legally allowed to lie in order to get a confession

You may not believe it was, but I am sure many do. Everyone is entitled to their own belief.

 

[IceIce9]

Her confession was not coerced.

LE are legally allowed to lie in order to get a confession

Seriously, even if I was only 17 no one could coerce me into saying I had heard my baby gurgle, seen her move her arms, heard her cry, and squeezed her too hard.

 

[Curiosum]

OB-GYN was a sub-specialty of the Dept. of Surgery at the university teaching hospital where I worked years ago. When I was entering my ninth month of pregnancy, I needed an emergency appendectomy. My OB-GYN was present but a general surgeon did the actual surgery.

JMO

Yes, because appendectomies are part of the scope of practice of general surgery not gynecology. I presume OB was available in case fetal tracings became concerning then the plan was to convert to an emergent cesarean section (which technically depending on your surgeon and your hospital that general surgeon may actually be credentialed to do ironically but I think most would prefer that they not). If you had needed a craniotomy at 35 weeks I’m quite confident your OB would have made sure you were operated on by a neurosurgeon and would have been available for the same reasons.

When we talk about subspecialties it means you do your initial specialty like surgery or OB-Gyn and then do a fellowship like perhaps cardiothoracic or MFM (ie Dr. White in this case)respectively. No one does a 5 year general surgery residency and then does a fellowship in OB-Gyn. Technically I suppose someone could do both residencies in succession. I have never heard of anyone doing that particular combination but I suppose it is possible albeit very unlikely.

 

[iluvmua]

Seriously, even if I was only 17 no one could coerce me into saying I had heard my baby gurgle, seen her move her arms, heard her cry, and squeezed her too hard.

Yep! I hope her words and actions is what finds her guilty on all charges.

Jmo

 

[BeckyF]

I have to agree. I do believe that she caused the death of the baby but at this time if I was a juror I would have to go with not guilty on the murder charges.

I completely agree. I do think she was instrumental in her baby's death but there hasn't been enough evidence presented to prove it, JMO

 

[IceIce9]

Yep! I hope her words and actions is what finds her guilty on all charges.

Jmo

And her texts

 

[cherrymeg]

Except dad was asked this question (biggest regret) today -- more than two years later!

Dad testified about the extended family gatherings, and even provided photos of them celebrating.

One could expect he regrets both not calling a lawyer, but also his daughter tragically giving birth alone to stillborn Annabelle, and that they lost a new member to their loving, welcoming family (i.e., daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc).

I think it's pretty clear nobody wanted this baby.

MOO

If you had a family member that miscarried or had an abortion would you always think of what could have been? It's not exactly the same but it's something out of your control. I imagine he has to stick to certain answers.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Does a supportive mother tell her daughter her life will be "over" if she has an unplanned baby? Does she mention anything about the possibility of marriage or mention a father aiding at all? No, she tells her no college and you will have to work and care for your baby - no, not so supportive at all. Oh, you bet Skylar was afraid of what her mother thought.

As I read, and re-read all these texts between the two, I'm wondering. Aren't these conversations that normally would be face-to-face between a mother and a daughter?

This just gets me as to why these were all done In text versus face-to-face.

And it also makes me wonder, what was face-to-face in addition to all of this if anything.

That is what I want to know. But we never will.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Seriously, even if I was only 17 no one could coerce me into saying I had heard my baby gurgle, seen her move her arms, heard her cry, and squeezed her too hard.

Here's what I don't understand... I can understand being talked into any of those things, if I was dazed from the exertions of giving birth, etc., and honestly couldn't remember 100% of what I did.

What I can't understand being "talked into", is "lighting the baby on fire". You think that'd be pretty memorable; no? Not exactly the kind of thing you'd have to think much about? I mean, fire hurts (former smoker here); and you know it can do damage; and it's super bright and memorable in the bargain. If she didn't try to cremate the baby at any point, why'd she say so to police?

 

[BlackCloud]

Her confession was not coerced.

LE are legally allowed to lie in order to get a confession

How do you know her confession wasn't coerced?
Sometimes even police officers do something wrong.

 

[iluvmua]

How do you know her confession wasn't coerced?
Sometimes even police officers do something wrong.

Because she volunteered to tell them the baby was alive for 5 minutes, cried, gurgled etc.

She said she might have killed it a little, might have hurt it a little.