Elizabeth Anne Case, Alabama mom who left 13 month old baby son in hot car for 8 hours while dumpster diving and then returning home while still leaving him in vehicle sentenced to 20 years jail in plea deal.
An Alabama mother previously charged with capital murder in the death of her 13 month old baby son after leaving her locked alone for more than 8 hours in a hot car only to die has been sentenced to 20 years jail. The jail term comes after the mom pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Elizabeth Anne Case, 39, of Athens, entered the plea in March, according to court documents cited by AL.
Case had faced capital murder charges in the 2019 death of Casen Case, who was left in a hot car for as long as eight hours, while she went dumpster diving, authorities said. Those charges were dismissed last year, and Case was charged with reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.
Drug addict mom
Case received credit for four years, 150 days served in jail.
Case, who has a history of drug use, was out on bail for a robbery charge at the time of her son’s death.
According to investigators, on Oct. 4, 2019, Elizabeth Case left her residence between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. the night before the child’s death, with him buckled into a front-facing car seat without strapping the seat to the vehicle. Case traveled to both Limestone and Madison counties where she was dumpster diving while the child was in the vehicle, officials said.
She then returned home around 5:40 a.m. and left the baby in the vehicle when she went inside the home and went to bed. Case awoke around 1:30 p.m. when the baby’s grandmother was banging on the door because she couldn’t find her grandchild.
They searched for the baby and found him in the car. Case then took the child in the home and placed him in the shower. The grandmother called 911, loaded the child in the car with Case, and met Athens Police at the Recreation Center at Highway 251 and Highway 31. The outside temperature was approximately 97 degrees when he was found.
Casen was transported to Athens-Limestone hospital where he was pronounced dead.
