10 DAY OLD MAGGIE MAY PLACED IN A WASHING MACHINE BY HER MOTHER FOR AN ENTIRE WASH CYCLE

Maggie May Trammel was 10 days old when her mother, high on meth, placed her in a washing machine and turned it on and let it run for an entire cleansing cycle. By the time a relative found little Maggie, she had drowned.

Maggie’s great aunt, Rhonda Coshatt, went to the home Fiddler and her two other children, 4 and 3, lived at to offer some help to the new mother. When she arrived at the house, she found her niece, Maggie’s mother, Lyndsey Fiddler, passed out on the couch. She heard a clunking noise coming from the washing machine, as if it was unbalanced, and when she went to check what was causing it, she found little Maggie inside. Rhonda attempted to revive the baby, but it was far too late.

When Fiddler came to and realized what had happened, she proceeded to accuse her aunt of murdering the little girl. When rescue workers arrived at the home, they were deeply disturbed by what they saw. Their superiors have stated this case has scarred these people for life. I can’t imagine living with that image. The children, 6 and 9, are now living with a relative. DA Kevin Buchanan indicated that the 15 year sentence was in part intended to ensure her children would be adults by the time their mother was released for murdering their sister, and therefore they would never be in her custody again

Fiddler claims to have no recollection of how the newborn ended up in the washing machine. She was arrested and initially charged with child neglect, and held on $100,000.00 bail. Fiddler has an extensive criminal record. Among other things, she has been charged for driving without a license, larceny, assault and battery, and for driving with her young children not strapped into their car seats. She has also been charged with assault and has a drug charge from when she was 4 months pregnant.

Fiddler tested positive for a plethora of drugs, including methamphetamine, amphetamines, benzodiazepine and opiates. Recognizing the threat Fiddler’s children were under, her family attempted to intervene by getting her parental rights revoked due to her drug abuse, sadly the courts found a judgment in favor of Fiddler. Not long after, her daughter would end up dead.

Fiddler’s two other children were removed from her care, but the damage has already been done. These two children may have not been physically harmed, but they will forever live with the memory and images of their mother killing their baby sister.

Fiddler’s charges were upgraded to second-degree manslaughter and child abuse by neglect, and she subsequently pled guilty to the charges. Washington County District Court Judge Curtis Delapp sentenced Fiddler to 15 years in prison and 15 years on probation. Many people are outraged with the sentence and believe 15 years in prison is no near enough for the murder of a 10 day old baby girl.

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Buchanan explained the reasons which surrounded their recommendation for sentencing. The prosecution ran into a few problems, one being the blood sample taken from Fiddler shortly after Maggie was found in the washing machine. According to Buchanan, there was not enough blood taken to fully test the substances in her blood, meaning they could confirm what was in her system, but could not determine the amount of said substances. The results of Fiddler’s test made it difficult for Buchanan to fully convince a jury of which woman was responsible for the baby’s death, and this was a chance he was not willing to take.

The other reason involved Coshatt, when her blood sample was analyzed, they found hydrocodone in her system, however, authorities were able to determine that Coshatt was on prescription medication and has done nothing wrong, and was not impaired in any way when she found Maggie.

Personally, I am sticking to my theory that the punishment should be enduring the exact same treatment which Maggie did. Since when has being high a reasonable excuse?

CCA0021

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Posted in CHILD ABUSE CASES

Tags: aunt rhonda, child neglect, childre, driving without a license, drug charge, little maggie