Alona Lacey, a 2-month-old girl, died on August 29, 2022, at her home on Burton Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her mother, 32-year-old Dacia Lacey, who tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, admitted in a confession that the baby would not stop crying and she wanted to sleep. According to the DCS fatality report, the mother aggressively rubbed lotion on the child, aggressively rocked her while telling her to shut up, struck her on the leg, forcefully shoved a bottle in her mouth, and then placed her face-down toward the back of the couch where pillows would muffle the crying before going to bed. The mother woke to find the baby unresponsive. The mother initially told police the death was an accident caused by siblings playing on the couch, but her then-3-year-old daughter consistently told multiple family members that the mother had put a pillow on the baby's face. The autopsy could not determine a cause or manner of death. Dacia Lacey was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death approximately five months later, but was found not guilty at a bench trial after the judge determined the prosecution had charged her with the wrong crime, noting he believed she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter instead.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The DCS fatality report (INDCS_22_Lacey.pdf) states: "the mother struck her on the leg," "she aggressively rubbed lotion on the child and then aggressively rocked her," and "forcefully shoved a bottle in her mouth, causing her to make a gurgling sound." Additionally, the mother placed the child face-down into couch cushions, which multiple news articles describe as smothering. The WTHR article reports the detective testified: "she ended up picking up Alona and facing her towards the crease in the couch." The other daughter also testified: "Mom was mad, hit the baby with a pillow and put the pillow on her face."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The DCS fatality report describes the child being placed on a couch among pillows: "the mother placed her toward the top of the couch and turned her to face the back, where the pillows would muffle the crying. The mother went to bed." A 2-month-old infant left on a couch with pillows is an unsafe sleep environment. The WTHR article corroborates: "she placed her faced toward the crease in the couch. So, if you have the back of the couch and then the seating area, she placed her faced toward the crease."
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The DCS fatality report explicitly identifies the "Perpetrator: Mother." Multiple news articles identify the mother as Dacia Lacey, who admitted to smothering the baby. The fox59 article states: "32-year-old Dacia Lacey admitted to police this week that she was high on meth the day her daughter died." The relationship as biological mother is confirmed by the DCS report describing the victim as living "with her mother and siblings."
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The DCS fatality report (INDCS_22_Lacey.pdf) states: "Number of previous unsubstantiated assessments for victim: 1" and "Perpetrator history of substantiated assessments: 2." This confirms prior child protection reports for both the victim and the mother/perpetrator.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fox59 arrest article states: "An Indianapolis mother is behind bars accused of neglect of a dependent resulting in the death of her 2-month-old daughter." The WTHR trial article confirms: "Dacia Lacey had been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death." The fox59 verdict article specifies: "Five months later, in January 2023, the girl's mother Dacia Lacey was charged with causing her child's death." She was ultimately found not guilty, but she was charged and arrested.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources confirm substance use by the mother/caregiver. The DCS fatality report states: "The mother tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine." The fox59 article reports: "Dacia Lacey admitted to police this week that she was high on meth the day her daughter died." The WTHR article states: "Toxicology results showed methamphetamine in Dacia's system the day her baby died."
Notable Details
Several notable systemic and legal issues are described in the text. Despite the mother's confession to smothering her baby while high on methamphetamine, corroborated by her then-3-year-old daughter's consistent eyewitness account to multiple family members, the mother was found not guilty at a bench trial. Judge Mark Stoner explicitly stated he believed she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter but that prosecutors charged her with the wrong crime (neglect of a dependent resulting in death, which requires criminal intent). The fox59 verdict article reports: "The judge believed she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but because she wasn't charged with that crime he instead found her not guilty of neglect resulting in death." The WTHR article quotes the judge: "When the state chooses to charge an individual, they must prove they did something with criminal intent. Poor parenting, by definition, is not criminal." Additionally, the NY Post article notes Judge Stoner was "already facing calls to resign after giving a mentally ill man who fatally shot a police officer a sentence of time served." The case also highlights that the autopsy was unable to determine cause or manner of death, which limited the prosecution's physical evidence despite the confession.
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