"Newborn Jane" ESSMAN - 6 Weeks (2010) - Holt/ Tuscaloosa AL

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Leslie Ashcraft Essman, 30, of Holt was
charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated child abuse in
connection with the death of her 6-week-old daughter last September, according to The Tuscaloosa News.



The report says Essman's daughter died after being left in her crib for
approximately 12 hours. She was also charged with aggravated child abuse
of her 1-year-old son after allegedly neglecting him for 13 hours that
day, though the boy did not require medical attention.

Essman is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.

http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/07/holt_woman_charged_in_infant_d.html

Tuscaloosa woman faces abuse charges in death of infant

By Stephanie Taylor, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 9:54 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 9:54 a.m.

A Tuscaloosa woman has been charged with aggravated child abuse in connection with the death of her infant daughter in September.

Leslie Ashcraft Essman, 30, was charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated child abuse. She is being held on $100,000 bond.

Essman's 6-week-old daughter died after being left in a crib for around 12 hours, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander Capt. Loyd Baker. Essman was sleeping during much of that time, he said.

The child went to sleep in a bed with an adult relative after midnight Sept. 26. He woke around 3 p.m. and noticed that the baby appeared pale and was having trouble breathing. Paramedics responded to the home in the 4402 20th St. N.E. in Holt before transporting the baby to DCH Regional Medical Center. She was later taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, where she died the next day.

Essman is also charged with aggravated child abuse of her 1-year-old son, ho she is also accused of neglecting that day. The boy did not require medical attention.

A grand jury who heard information about the case and issued the indictments in June.

The autopsy indicated four contributors to the child's death: coagulopathy, Acute Tubular Necrosis, multiple small bowel infarcts and a hypoxic brain injury.

Coagulopaty is a condition in which the blood's ability to clot is impaired. It can cause prolonged or excessive bleeding. Acute Tubular Necrosis involves damage to kidney cells and leads to acute kidney failure. Bowel infarctions occur because of restricted blood flow to the bowels, and can result in twisting or obstruction.

A hypoxic brain injury is caused by lack of oxygen to the brain.

Essman remained in the Tuscaloosa County Jail Thursday morning with bail set at $100,000.

Her arrest Thursday was the third time she has been arrested since August 2010. According to court records, Essman and a friend went into a dressing room at Belk and stuffed nearly $560 of clothing into their purses before they were caught be store security. Disposition of that case is pending. Her bond was revoked Thursday, after she was jailed on the child abuse charges.

Essman was arrested again in February. She allegedly went to her parents home and accused her brother and his friend of stealing $300 from her. She allegedly used a stun gun on both of them several times, leaving burn marks on their skin. She is accused of stealing the woman's purse. The first-degree robbery and second-degree domestic violence charges she was charged with then are also pending.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110707/NEWS/110709791/1007?p=1&tc=pg