Trigger Warning; Child death, child abuse, neglect,
A mother who was previously convicted of starving her newborn son is now facing charges for killing her infant daughter after the 9-month-old choked to death in a modified car seat Polic reportedly arrested 22-years Summer Rose Kazzee last Thursday, November 07, on the grounds of negligent homicide.
Kazzee, who lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas, reportedly strapped her baby, Lucy Weber, into a modified car seat at home while trying to make her fall asleep. As per her statement, Lucy was "rocking herself to sleep," while the mom went to the living room on the other side of the house. She claimed that when she checked on the infant an hour and a half later, she found the little girl to be happily rocking and clapping her hands.
She said when she returned again after 30 minutes, but that's she found Lucy unconscious with the seat’s top buckle in the baby’s throat. When police investigated the scene, they found a blanket in the seat, which the mum reportedly used to tie the seat’s bottom buckle so that Lucy “would not mess with it,” as she explained. However, Kazzee also stated that the baby never opened the seat belt or messed with it, making it unclear what her need for fidgeting with the car seat still unknown.
Modified car seats are designed with safety in mind, so why the mother decided to make such a dangerous modification has yet to be answered. But this isn't the first time her parenting has gotten her in trouble. In 2016, she had dodged jail after letting her newborn son starve. As per the Sentinel-Record, Kazzee is currently facing charges for breaching her probation conditions that were set after she starved her son. She also served time in jail for following an incident where her son was rushed to the hospital and was found that he weighed lesser than his birth weight.
Kazzeee, along with her partner Kody Weber, persisted that even though they fed the boy, (who is not Weber’s son) his weight could not be regulated - and that it was a sickness that was beyond their control. However, neither the jurors nor the doctor bought this logic, and they jointly agreed that the baby’s condition was a result of ‘external causes’ – which is as simple as not being fed adequately.
Weber pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail for six years for playing an active role in the abuse. Fortunately, doctors saved the baby boy, and his health improved significantly once placed in foster care.
Kazzee is currently due to be arraigned on the homicide charge on November 18, next week, and is being held in jail without any bond until then.