Jury finds Boone County daycare operator not guilty in baby’s death
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Boone County jury on Friday found a home daycare operator not guilty of negligence that caused a baby's death.
The jury went into deliberation around 1 p.m. and came back about two hours later with its not guilty verdict.
Sarah Brown faced three to 10 years in prison. Brown had been running her unlicensed, at-home daycare center for about 30 years, she said Thursday while on the stand. In 2023, a baby in her care, 3-month-old Ayla Gibson, was found dead, face down in a crib.
Brown was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the girl's death. The jury could alternatively find Brown guilty of second-degree involuntary manslaughter or innocent.
Friday began with both the prosecuting attorney and her own attorney questioning Brown.
Gibson was at Brown's daycare from May 23 to 25. During that time, Brown said she had 12 children in her care, and the state attorney clarified that nine of them were less than 7 years old.
Brown said she placed Ayla Gibson in a crib in a secluded room with a pillow that propped the child on her side. Brown also said she checked in on her once between laying her down for a nap and finding the child dead, but she couldn't remember when that check-in was.
During Thursday's trial, a Columbia Police Department detective pointed out inconsistencies with Brown's statements as to when she checked in on Gibson.
The detective testified that Brown claimed she checked in on the baby 15 minutes after putting the baby down for a nap, and Ayla was in the same position as when she was put in the crib. Two other statements claim Brown found the baby face down at varying times after laying her down.
During Ayla Gibson's stay, Brown said she noticed the child had labored breathing and advised the mother, Leah Salisbury, to take her child to the doctor. The prosecuting attorney clarified that Salisbury had taken Ayla to the doctor, and after the visit, Salisbury gave Brown a special swaddle to use.
Brown said on the stand that she couldn't figure out the special swaddle and chose to use her own.
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