Couple charged with manslaughter after daughter dies while zipped up in safety bed in filthy conditions

The parents of two children are facing manslaughter charges after their daughter died while “zipped up” in a safety bed, according to recently filed court documents.

Heather Lynn Cross, 49, and Darcy Ronald Cross, 57, are each facing counts of second-degree manslaughter and contributing to the need for child protection services after the death of their daughter on Aug. 28.

According to court documents, first responders were called to the Cross’s houses in Pine River, where a 10-year-old girl had been “crushed” by her bed.

While attempting to revive the girl, first responders said she appeared to have been in rigor mortis, meaning she had likely died hours before first responders arrived, according to court documents.

It was also observed by first responders that it appeared the child had been staying in filthy conditions with urine and feces staining her mattress, foam pad, and other parts of the room.

The bed was also found to have a mesh netting surrounding the frame and a cage, with parts that appeared broken.

According to Heather, her two daughters both have autism, and she described her 10-year-old daughter as a “fecal painter,” and the condition of her bedroom was “normal.”

She also said both daughters would sleep in the beds, referred to as a “safety bed,” as their 10-year-old daughter would often escape and had a habit of eating drywall. The mesh netting could only be opened from the outside, preventing the girls from leaving their beds when zipped up.

According to the couple, Heather had checked on their 10-year-old daughter between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. that day, providing her medication before leaving her in bed.

The couple then reportedly woke up at 9:30 a.m. and did not check on either of their children until 4:30 p.m., when Heather said she found her 10-year-old daughter with her head pinned under the metal frame of the bed.

Court documents said both children, one of whom was an extremely high needs child, were left unsupervised for 10-12 hours and confined to their beds.

When speaking with the physician who prescribed the safety beds, they informed investigators they were designed for safe sleep and were not intended to keep children inside when they were awake, referring to daytime use as “a complete misuse of the equipment.”

When speaking with the company that installed the beds, the organization stated that they had done so in 2020 and had not received any requests for repairs from the Cross family, despite offering to do so. A technician also stated the mattresses were not the ones that came with the bed and parts appeared to have been broken for a long time.

On subsequent visits by investigators, the couple’s other daughter, according to court records, was seen zipped in her safety bed with an iPad and a bedpan instead of being allowed to use the bathroom at home, despite being able to do so at school.

During a September safety planning meeting, a Crow Wing County Social Services worker told the couple that their daughter should only be zipped up at night and not confined to the safety bed while awake.

Heather reportedly told the worker she could zip up the bed whenever she wanted to.

Both Heather and Darcy were later arrested on Sept. 17 due to the information investigators had discovered since August. Their other daughter was taken into protective custody.
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