Blaming the Babysitter

Thirteen-year-old Ashley Howes was a mother’s helper for Morningstar Garden, a family friend, over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend in 2005. A change of plans put Ashley in sole charge of two children: five-year-old Madeline and 19-month-old Freya. While Morningstar and her boyfriend Gracian Cline were out, Ashley said she heard a thud from the room where Freya was sleeping. On finding Freya in a fetal position groaning, Ashley called 911, and an ambulance rushed the child to a hospital where, two hours later, she was pronounced dead. “48 Hours" correspondent Harold Dow reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 9/9/2006. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.