Mom, 35, is charged with murdering her disabled daughter, 13, after 'turning off her vital oxygen alarm and depriving her of life-saving care' while her husband was on a fishing trip
A Minnesota mom has been charged with murdering her disabled 13-year-old daughter after allegedly turning off the alarm on her emergency medical device and depriving her of life-saving care while her husband was on a fishing trip.
Elise Nelson, 35, of Paynesville was charged Wednesday over the death of her child Kylie Larson back in June.
Kylie had several medical conditions from a loss of oxygen at birth including cerebral palsy, respiratory failure and developmental delay.
She required around-the-clock care, including the use of a pulse oximeter device that monitored her oxygen level and pulse rate and sounded an alarm if they dropped below a certain level.
Police said Nelson deliberately tampered with the medical device and allowed her child to die.
Minnesota mom Elise Nelson, 35, has been charged with murdering her disabled 13-year-old daughter after allegedly depriving her of care and silencing the alarm on her medical device
Nelson was the only person home with Kylie when she died on June 21.
The mom had been caring for her daughter alone for four days between June 18 to June 21, while her husband was on a fishing trip and her other daughter was staying with a family friend.
Authorities allege that during the four-day period Nelson tampered with Kylie's pulse oximeter device, silencing its alarm before ultimately turning it off.
The device can be tampered with to manually change the level at which the the alarm will sound.
Nelson allegedly altered the medical equipment so the alarm would not sound when her daughter's oxygen and pulse levels dropped below 90 percent.
Then, on the morning of June 21, she allegedly raised the level from 74 percent back to 90 percent before turning the alarm off altogether, according to data from the machine.
When the family friend tried to drop off Nelson's other daughter, they could not get hold of her, says the criminal complaint.
Nelson was charged Wednesday over the death of Kylie Larson, 13, back in June. Kylie had several medical conditions from a loss of oxygen at birth including cerebral palsy, respiratory failure and developmental delay
Nelson texted the friend hours later saying she had been giving Kylie CPR for an hour and was waiting for emergency services to arrive.
But the mom didn't call 911 for another 20 minutes after sending the text, according to authorities.
Police arrived at the home to find Kylie lying on the living room floor.
Nelson allegedly told police her daughter had flatlined after her oxygen levels fell to 86 percent.
The teen was rushed to hospital and was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed Kylie died as a result of both complications during birth and being deprived of care by Nelson.
Kylie required around-the-clock care, including the use of a pulse oximeter device that monitored her oxygen level and pulse rate and sounded an alarm if they dropped below a certain level. Police said Nelson deliberately tampered with the device and allowed her to die
Her death was ruled a homicide and Nelson was charged with second-degree intentional murder and manslaughter in Stearns County District Court.
She was booked into jail Wednesday where she is being held on $500,000 bail without conditions or $350,000 with conditions.
She is scheduled to appear in court on October 8.
Kylie's devastated family paid tribute to the teen in an online obituary where they described her as a 'gift from God' and a 'sweet soul'.
'Kylie enjoyed being outside and moving around, whether it be spinning around in her chair, going for walks with friends and family, or traveling to new places. She loved spending time with her family and going for boat rides,' her family wrote.
'Her fellow schoolmates looked forward to pushing her around in the halls and laughing with her. You saw her sweet soul and smile in her eyes.'