A Minnesota mother and father have been charged with manslaughter following the death of their 10-year-old daughter with autism, who authorities say was crushed by her own bed after being left unsupervised for several hours.
Darcy Cross, 57, and Heather Cross, 49, were arrested on Sept. 17, a little over three weeks after officers responded to the couple’s Pine River, Minn., home on Aug. 25, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
First responders reported finding Heather “frantically performing CPR” on her daughter, but were instructed to take over using the defibrillator. When an officer attempted to move the girl’s legs, he said they were “stiff” and in “rigor mortis,” indicating she had likely been dead for several hours, per the affidavit.
Investigators also described an “overpowering odor” consistent with urine and feces in the bedroom, which contained only a safety bed and several soiled mattresses. Heather told authorities this condition was normal, describing her daughter as a “fecal painter.” She explained that both of her daughters had autism and sleep disorders, which led the parents to purchase safety beds for them.
Heather said she gave the 10-year-old a bottle and her daily medicine sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. before going back to sleep, later waking around 9 a.m. and believing she heard the girls playing. Darcy reportedly told investigators he went outside to mow the lawn around noon and returned at 4:30 p.m. to find his daughter dead. He described the child’s position with her head pinned under the bed’s metal frame and her legs in the air, comparing it to a yoga pose.
“Darcy reported it was not uncommon for the girls to be in their beds during the day and reported that he and Heather would generally check on the girls every couple hours,” the affidavit states. However, investigators allege the “extremely high needs child was left alone for 10-12 hours with no supervision.”
According to the affidavit, Heather claimed she had never seen the bed frame broken or out of place, though investigators say text messages show she sent pictures of the broken frame to Darcy two days earlier. When authorities rebuilt the bed after a search warrant, they found all four metal poles meant to be welded to plates were broken, leaving the metal cage unsecured.
A bed supplier technician told authorities the posts appeared broken for some time and that he had not returned to the home since the bed’s initial installation in 2020. The technician said the couple purchased replacement parts but did not receive professional assistance for repairs.
A social worker who visited the family on Sept. 5 said Heather became confrontational when told that the bed enclosure for the older daughter should only be used at bedtime. Heather allegedly told the social worker to “get the f*** out,” according to the affidavit.
After their arrests, the couple’s other daughter was placed in protective custody. The parents are also facing one count of contributing to the need for child protection or services, a gross misdemeanor. It is unclear if they have entered pleas or retained attorneys. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 1.
