Texas Mom Pleads Guilty to Murder of Sick Daughter She Left at Home to Attend a Party
A Texas mom who left her 7-year-old bedridden daughter to go out and party was sentenced to capital murder for her daughter's death. Lauren Kay Dean, 26, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the murder of her daughter, Jordynn Barrera, more than two years ago.
According to Fox News, Dean was not only sentenced to life imprisonment but was also sentenced to an additional 20 years for two counts of abandonment and endangering a child. That sentence will be running concurrently with her life imprisonment sentence.
Texas Mom Lauren Kay Dean Left Her Bedridden Daughter at Home With Other Young Children
The incident happened in Bay City in Matagorda County, Texas on January 31, 2020. The complaint said the mother left her 5-year-old child, her 3-month-old baby, and bedridden Jordynn alone at home to go to the nearby Shade's Bar.
KTRK reported that the Bay City Police responded to a welfare check at the family's apartment in the 2200 block of Bordeaux at around 2:36 p.m.
Dean, who had already returned home from partying all night, then invited a police officer into the apartment to show them that her three children were fine. However, when the police started their inspections, Jordynn was found dead.
According to reports, the child was non-communicative and diagnosed with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. She was also on a feeding tube, investigators said. The Texas mom reportedly left her in the care of her younger siblings.
Dean was immediately arrested following the discovery and booked into the Matagorda County Jail. She was charged with second-degree felony charges, including abandonment, endangering a child, and imminent danger bodily injury.
Court documents also showed that Lauren Kay Dean failed to provide the necessary medical care for her child, who was suffering from such delicate medical conditions. This neglect reportedly led to the child's death.
Texas Mom's Other Children Removed From Home After Her Arrest
According to prosecutors, Jordynn Barrera died after Lauren Kay Dean left her at their apartment. It was not reported whether she checked on Jordynn when she arrived after partying.
KHOU-11 reported that following her arrest, Bay City Police removed her two other children from her home. However, they did not confirm whether the two children were injured at that time.
A witness from the same apartment building was the one who reported that the Texas mom was neglecting her children and had called Child Protective Services to do the welfare check.
The incident has left the family's other neighbors in shock, with one of them telling KTRK that she wondered how that sort of neglect happened without anybody else knowing.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Police Say Mom of Child Found Dead Left Kids Alone to Go to Bar - From KTRK