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Lyndsey
Dawn FIDDLER
Classification: Homicide
Characteristics:
Washing machine death
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: November 4, 2010
Date of arrest:
Same day
Date of birth: 1984
Victim profile: Her
10-day-old daughter Maggie May Trammel
Method of murder: Drowning (putting
her in a washing machine)
Location: Bartlesville, Washington County, Oklahoma, USA
Status:
Pleaded guilty. Sentenced
to four years for manslaughter and 30 years with 15 years
to serve on a child neglect charge
on October 5, 2011
Mom Gets 15 Years For Infant's Washing Machine
Death
Ktul.com
October 6, 2011
Tulsa - A woman whose ten-day old baby girl died
after she was found in a washing machine last November has been
sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Lyndsey Dawn Fiddler, 27, pleaded guilty to
second-degree manslaughter in the death of Maggie May Trammel, who was
just ten days old when her aunt discovered her inside a running
washing machine.
The autopsy showed Trammel died by drowning.
Fiddler was originally charged with first-degree
murder in the case, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in August.
She told investigators she didn't know how the child had gotten into
the washing machine.
Police say Fiddler tested positive for meth and
other drugs after her arrest.
Fiddler is required to serve at least 85-percent of
the sentence -- or 12 years and nine months -- before she would be
eligible for parole.
B'ville woman handed split 30-year term in baby's death
By Laura Summers - TulsaWorld.com
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Bartlesville - A Bartlesville woman was sentenced
to prison Wednesday in the death of her 10-day-old daughter, whose
body was found in a washing machine.
Washington County District
Judge Curtis DeLapp, following a recommendation from the District
Attorney's Office, sentenced Lyndsey Dawn Fiddler, 27, to a split
30-year term on a child-neglect charge and to four years in prison on
a second-degree manslaughter charge. The prison sentences will run
concurrently.
The split term calls for 15
years to be served in prison followed by a 15-year probation.
Child neglect is defined in
Oklahoma as a violent crime that requires the defendant to serve 85
percent of the prison sentence before being eligible for parole.
Fiddler pleaded guilty in
August to the charges related to the Nov. 4 death of Maggie May
Trammel.
"Good luck, Ms. Fiddler,"
DeLapp said to the defendant, who also was fined $1,500 and ordered to
undergo substance-abuse counseling and register as a violent offender.
A few supporters gathered in
the courtroom and followed Fiddler down the hall to the elevator as
she made the trip back to the jail where she has been held since
November. Fiddler requested that she be sent to prison as soon as
possible.
Since her arrest, Fiddler has
said repeatedly that she does not know how her baby got into the
washing machine.
Fiddler tested positive for
several drugs, including methamphetamine, when she was arrested.
According to a presentencing
investigation report, Fiddler said she is guilty of child neglect
because of her drug use, but she does not believe that she put the
infant in the washing machine.
"I know everybody has slammed
me, and I deserve some slamming for taking care of my children while
on drugs, but I know I would not hurt my children. I never have," she
states in the report. "It's all so bad and everyone has spent so much
time putting me down. I feel like it's them against me."
District Attorney Kevin
Buchanan initially charged Fiddler with first-degree murder but
amended the charge in August, saying the "evidence does not indicate
the defendant intentionally killed her child."
Fiddler's two other children,
ages 6 and 9, now live with a relative.
Buchanan indicated that the
length of the recommended sentence was intended to ensure that they
would be adults by the time she is released from prison.
Bartlesville Woman Sentenced For Washing Machine
Death Of Infant Daughter
By Tara Vreeland and
Russell Hulstine - NewsOn6.com
October 5, 2011
BARTLESVILLE, Oklahoma -- A
Bartlesville woman who pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter in
the death of her 10-day-old daughter was sentenced Wednesday in a
Washington County courtroom.
The judge sentenced 27-year-old
Lyndsey Fiddler to four years for manslaughter and 30 years with 15
years to serve on a child neglect charge.
Fiddler was initially charged
with first degree murder and child neglect in the death of Maggie
Trammel on November 4, 2010. Trammel was found dead in a washing
machine at Fiddler's Bartlesville apartment.
In late August, Fiddler entered
a guilty plea to the reduced manslaughter charge and to the charge of
child neglect.
"I omitted to use ordinary care
and caution in regards to supervising Maggie Mae by using and abusing
methamphetamine and the prescription drugs," wrote Fiddler, in court
papers filed in Washington County.
Fiddler says her actions caused
the death of her infant daughter.
In November 2010, Fiddler says
she fed bathed and dressed her baby and laid her down. She writes that
she passed out on the couch, and when she woke up, she said her Aunt
found Maggie May dead in the clothes washing machine.
"Oh it's horrible. Horrible. You
don't expect to hear anything like that, especially here," said Dewey
resident Tera Rickman.
"I think it's sad. I think it's
sad that there is a child that's gone. I think it's sad that anybody
got to that stage in their life," said Marion Pyatte, Bartlesville
resident.
Fiddler says her aunt, Rhonda
Coshatt was also with her in the home when Maggie May drowned. She
says her aunt was high on morphine, but that she doesn't know who put
the baby in the washer.
Bartlesville police said Coshatt
was on prescribed medication and did not break the law. They say
Coshatt was investigated, it was discussed with the DA, and they don't
expect charges will be filed against her.
Bartlesville Woman Pleads Guilty In Baby's
Washing Machine Death
By Ashli Sims, News
On 6 and NewsOn6.com
August 23, 2011
BARTLESVILLE, Oklahoma -- A
Bartlesville woman charged with killing her infant daughter by putting
her in a washing machine pleaded guilty Tuesday to 2nd degree
manslaughter and child neglect in a Washington County courtroom.
Lyndsey Fiddler, 26, had waived
her right a jury trial on August 9, 2011.
It was a shocking case that
united a community.
Last November, ten-day-old
Maggie May Trammel found dead in a washing machine.
"Tiny, very tiny. She had long
feet and big hands. I only go to see her four times," said Jessica
Solis, Maggie May's Aunt.
Her mother Lyndsey Fiddler was
arrested, accused of being so high on meth she killed her baby.
"I want people to see the
effects of drugs. That's the most important thing I think. It could
have been prevented. Like the lady said, it really could have," Solis
said.
Fiddler told police she didn't
know how the baby ended up in the washing machine.
She was facing a first degree
murder charge. But prosecutors say limited samples of Fiddler's blood
made it tough to prove how many drugs were in her system.
The DA says it doesn't appear
she meant to kill little Maggie May, but he says Fiddler's drug use
directly led to the infant's death.
Fiddler ended up pleading guilty
to second-degree manslaughter and child neglect.
The DA is recommending Fiddler
spend the next 15 years in prison and another 15 years on probation
for her role in Maggie May's death.
That sentence would ensure
Fiddler's other children would never be placed back in her custody.
Lyndsey Fiddler will be
sentenced in October.
Statement from Washington County District Attorney Kevin Buchanan:
Today,
Lyndsey Dawn Fiddler entered pleas of guilty to the charges of
Manslaughter 2nd Degree and Child Neglect ending a nine-month long
investigation and prosecution that has been the focus of the
Washington County District Attorney's Office and the Bartlesville
Police Department since these crimes occurred in November 2010.
This case
has reached a positive resolution in large part due to the hard work
and professionalism of the Bartlesville Police Department.
This case
involved unique factual and legal circumstances that resulted in the
tragic death of Maggie Mae Trammel, the defendant's ten-day old
infant.
These
unusual circumstances created difficult evidentiary issues, including
limited samples of Ms. Fiddler's blood to prove the quantity of drugs
in her system.
After
extensive review and discussion of the events that lead to the death
of Maggie Mae Trammel, the evidence does not indicate that the
Defendant intentionally killed her child.
Ms.
Fiddler's conscious decision to ingest Methamphetamine, along with
other prescription medication, directly led to the death of Maggie
Mae. The Defendant's intoxication rendered her incapable of caring for
her child and exposed her infant child to the consequences of illegal
drug use.
The
Washington County District Attorney's Office has made this case a
priority and has dedicated many long hours and resources to this
successful prosecution.
The
culmination of this work has led this office to recommend that the
Defendant be sentenced to 30 years with 15 years to be served in the
Department of Corrections.
The crime
of Child Neglect is categorized as a violent crime and requires the
Defendant to serve eighty-five percent of her incarceration before
becoming eligible for parole. Parole is not mandated upon reaching
eighty-five percent of the Defendant's sentence.
Consideration was given that the recommended sentence will ensure that
the Defendant's surviving minor children will reach the age of
majority before Ms. Fiddler is released and therefore they will not be
placed back into her custody.
After
release from incarceration the Defendant will be closely supervised
for an additional fifteen years. In the event of future violations of
the law or rules of probation the Defendant will be subject to serving
the remainder of the sentence in jail.
The
Washington County District Attorney's Office is acutely aware of the
outrage felt by our community following Maggie Mae Trammel's death.
Given the
challenges facing my office in prosecuting this case to a successful
and desirable verdict, I believe that an appropriate and just outcome
has been reached for Ms. Fiddler's surviving children and all others
personally involved and affected by this case.
ME: Baby in washing machine died of drowning
By Laura Summers - TulsaWorld.com
March 3, 2011
BARTLESVILLE — The Oklahoma State Medical
Examiner’s Office has ruled a 10-day-old baby whose body was
discovered in a washing machine died of drowning.
The autopsy report for Maggie May Trammel, who died
Nov. 4, was released this week by the state agency, which ruled the
infant’s death was a homicide.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office on
Wednesday charged the baby’s mother, Lyndsey Dawn Fiddler, with
first-degree murder.
The report notes the baby had numerous contusions
and abrasions consistent with the conditions that would be endured
“while in the washing machine during a wash cycle.” There were no
drugs or alcohol in the baby’s system according to toxicology tests
performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Bartlesville police arrested Fiddler in the child’s
death after an extensive investigation that began with a 911 call
reporting the death of infant child whose body was discovered inside a
washing machine that had just completed its spin cycle.
The baby’s great aunt, Rhonda Coshatt, told
authorities she fed Maggie May and changed her diaper before Fiddler
took the infant to another room, saying she was going to put the girl
to bed.
Coshatt told police she found the baby in the
washing machine, which had been making noises as if it were out of
balance. Fiddler has denied placing the baby in the washing machine.
Coshatt told authorities that Fiddler had been
using methamphetamine for the three days before the baby’s death.
Tests showed that Fiddler had methamphetamine, amphetamine, opiates
and benzodiazepine in her system at the time of her arrest.
The murder charge alleges the baby died because
Fiddler failed to adequately care for the infant due to exposure to
illegal drugs.
Fiddler remains in Washington County jail with bond
set at $100,000. The murder charge she now faces comes in addition to
a child neglect charge filed in the case in November. Fiddler returns
to court on March 10.
Mom Accused In Infant's Death Appears In Court
Ktul.com
November 12, 2010
Bartlesville - A woman accused in the death of her
infant daughter found dead in a washing machine appeared in a
Washington County courtroom Friday morning.
Lyndsey Fiddler was suppose to have a status
hearing, but it was rescheduled to December third. The 26-year-old mom
doesn't have an attorney. She left the courtroom the same way she
entered it -- in police custody.
As she walked to the elevator in handcuffs, she
wouldn't respond to any of the questions News Channel 8 asked her
about the day 10-day old Maggie May Trammel died.
A week ago, Fiddler's aunt told News Channel 8 she
discovered Maggie May inside the washing machine as it ran. To people
like Joe Parret, the toxicology test that found meth and other drugs
in Fiddler's system says a lot.
"Meth is something that grabs a hold of you and you
just can't explain," he says.
Joe says he knew Fiddler used drugs long before
police were called to her home to investigate.
"Yes, I know her, and I know her boyfriend," Joe
remarked.
He tells News Channel 8 Fiddler is actually a nice
person, but he said she's also an addict. The 33-year-old admits he's
one too. In fact, he was at the courthouse to turn himself in on an
unrelated charge outside the very courtroom where Fiddler appeared for
the status hearing.
Parret says jail is going to save his life, and he
thinks it will do the same for Fiddler.
Under the law, Lyndsey Fiddler is considered
innocent until proven guilty. Washington County Assistant District
Attorney Will Drake says Fiddler could spend life in prison if she's
convicted of child neglect.
"At this point, the investigation does not warrant
a murder charge," he says.
Drake says that could change, however. The
investigation is ongoing, and he said they're not ruling anything out.
Epitome Of A Bad Mother: Meth Head Monster
Tosses Newborn In The Washing Machine With Dirty Clothes
Bossip.com
November 7, 2010
A ten-day-old baby girl died after being placed in
a washing machine as it went through an entire spin cycle.
The newborn’s mother Lyndsey Fiddler put her
daughter into the washing machine along with a pile of laundry.
The tiny baby was inside the top loading washing
machine for up to 40 minutes before being discovered.
A relative who called in to see Fiddler found her
passed out and the baby, called Maggie May, missing.
She also heard a strange sound from the washing
machine and when she opened the door found the crumpled body of Maggie
mixed in with the clothes.
In a frantic call to emergency dispatchers
26-year-old Fiddler is heard saying :’My baby is dead.’
She can then be heard arguing with her aunt Rhonda
Coshatt who is heard on the call saying: ‘No I did not kill your baby,
you did.'
Police have charged Fiddler with second degree
manslaughter after initially arresting her on drug charges.
Family members had been concerned about Fiddler
because of her past drug use.
Earlier this year they had tried to get her
parental rights revoked before the birth of her third child.
The young mother had been arrested in April for
taking drugs when she was four months pregnant.
She is suspected of being hooked on crystal meth
and taking the drug the night her daughter died.
‘The mother was asleep and she had trouble waking
her and heard the washer out of balance, clanging, so went to lift the
lid so it would stop and in the washing machine, saw the baby,’
Holland said.
Fiddler’s two other boys, aged four and three, were
taken into care by social workers.
The infant’s father, Benjamin Trammel, said he
can’t believe his girlfriend deliberately killed their daughter.
‘Inside my heart, I can’t believe Lyndsey would
have hurt our little girl. I don’t believe it in my heart to be honest
with you,’ Trammel said.
Paramedics had desperately tried to revive the
newborn baby after she was pulled out of the washing machine, but she
was already dead on arrival at hospital.
Paramedic John Houser,who worked on the baby, said:
‘Terrible. I don’t even know how to describe it.’
Fiddler has a long criminal history with arrests
for assault, driving without a licence and not having her two older
children in car seats.
Ten-Day-Old Bartlesville Baby Found Dead In
Washing Machine, Mother Arrested
By Lori Fullbright -
News On 6 and NewsOn6.com
November 5, 2010
BARTLESVILLE, Oklahoma --
Bartlesville Police are investigating the death of a 10-day-old baby.
The infant's mother, Lyndsey Fiddler, has been arrested for
second-degree manslaughter.
Police officers were called to a
downtown apartment at 7:42 p.m. Thursday after receiving a 911 call.
When they arrived, they found the infant dead inside a washing
machine, having been put in there with clothes and gone through an
entire wash cycle.
Bartlesville Police Chief Tom
Holland says in his 40 years of police work he has never seen or heard
of anything like this.
"I started in Fort Worth and
have walked into apartments with seven dead bodies, seen terrible
crimes, mass murder, even," Holland said.
Police say an aunt of the mother
went over Thursday night to check on Fiddler and her three kids and
found a terrible scene.
"The mother was asleep and she
had trouble waking her and heard the washer out of balance, clanging,
so went to lift the lid so it would stop and in the washing machine,
saw the baby," Holland said.
Records show Fiddler has had
many run-ins with Bartlesville police. She's been found guilty of
larceny, assault and battery and many times for failing to show up for
court.
She's also been stopped several
times for speeding, driving without a license and not having her kids
in car seats.
She was arrested in April for
possession of a controlled drug, when she was four months pregnant.
She got a one year suspended sentence and 10 days in jail, but didn't
show up for court.
Fiddler's family tried back in
June when she was pregnant, because they were so concerned about her
drug abuse, to get her parental rights revoked, but it didn't happen.
Now, a terrible tragedy has
occurred that has devastated not only her family, but also the
emergency responders.
"I know the detective, he's a
veteran detective who was taking photos at the hospital and he had to
step out for awhile. He's got three girls," Holland said.
John
Houser, A Bartisville paramedic, tried to save the baby on the way to
the hospital, but it was too late.
"Terrible. I don't even know how
to describe it," Houser said. He said she was so tiny when he lifted
her into the ambulance, that it just broke his heart.
The infant's body has been
turned over to the state Medical Examiner's Office.
Fiddler is currently being held
without bond, and authorities say a bond hearing will be scheduled for
this weekend.
