Audria Nickerson Franklin County Detention Center
FARMINGTON — A former Montana woman charged with negligent homicide in the death of her 5-month-old daughter Sept. 25 in Montana appeared in Farmington District Court on Monday.
Audria Shannon Nickerson, 30, of Strong was arrested on a warrant Saturday at a South Main Street residence, officials said. Maine State Police Trooper Rick Moody, Franklin County sheriff’s Sgt. Matthew Brann and two U.S. marshals went to the home where a family member confirmed Nickerson was there.
Nickerson is being held as a fugitive from justice at the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington.
According to a news release from Undersheriff George Skuletich of the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department, department officers witnessed Nickerson slumped over in her vehicle in the early hours of Sept. 25 in the 200 block of Alaska Street in Butte, where they reportedly lived.
“They were unable to wake the female and they noticed that there was possibly a child underneath the slumped-over female,” according to the release. Police broke a window to remove the driver and immediately began CPR on the infant.
The infant and a child in the back seat were taken to a hospital where the infant was pronounced dead.
“The child died of suffocation, autopsy results showed, according to The Montana Standard.
The child in the backseat was turned over the Department of Family Services, according to the release.
Lab tests showed Nickerson had methamphetamine in her system on Sept. 25, Skuletich wrote. Bond is set at $250,000.
On Monday, Nickerson appeared in Farmington District Court where Judge Charles Dow scheduled an extradition hearing for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 13.
A conviction for negligent homicide is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, or a fine of up to $50,000, or both, according to Montana law.
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