Deana Nicole Byrd, a 24-year-old babysitter from Indiana, has been arrested after the mother of her three charges discovered her children in an unconscious state. Court documents revealed that Byrd has been charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, dealing a controlled substance with enhancing circumstances, and one count of theft.
When the police and emergency medical services arrived at Byrd’s home, the two younger children were revived, but the 15-year-old was still unconscious. One of the younger children told an officer that Byrd had given them some of her pills. In the bedroom, authorities found orange pill capsules broken in half along with a white powdery substance and a rolled-up Ramen noodle cup lid.
The mother told police that she had dropped off her children at Byrd’s house the night before and had not heard from them or the babysitter all day. When she arrived at the home, Byrd was on the porch seemingly impaired and speaking softly. Upstairs, the mother found her daughter unresponsive and then discovered her two other children unconscious on the couch.
The 15-year-old told police that Byrd had offered her and her brothers pills she believed were Klonopin, Adderall, and Lyrica. She said that Byrd showed them how to break open the pills and snort them using the rolled-up Ramen noodle cup lid. The 15-year-old said that after taking the pills, she and her brothers began to fall over and could hardly stand up.
A child services worker confirmed the 15-year-old’s story and noted that they were familiar with Byrd, as the Department of Child Services had previously removed all three of her children. When questioned by police, Byrd denied giving the children anything and claimed that they must have got into her pills on their own. However, police found a prescription pill bottle for Adderall and Klonopin in her home, and a half-filled prescription bottle for Lyrica in her purse.
Byrd’s bond has been set at $20,000 and she is not allowed to have contact with any of the three children.