Hudson Valley Mother Sentenced For Infant’s Drowning Death
A Hudson Valley mother who admitted she caused her infant daughter’s death was sentenced.
On Thursday in Ulster County Court, 26-year-old Kayla Pagan of Marlborough was sentenced to a period of local incarceration in combination with five years of probation supervision.
In March, she pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide for the drowning death of her 10-month-old daughter, Lilliana Ryerson, in a bathtub at their home at their Marlborough home.
According to Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Lilliana’s father, Richard Ryerson was in court with several members of his and Kayla’s families. He spoke at the sentencing and asked the court to let Pagan out of jail and require strict supervision and counseling for her.
“This is a terribly sad case. It is clear to us that what happened was not intentional,” Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright said. “Ms. Pagan accepted responsibility from the day of the incident. Our office feels that nothing would be gained by the imposition of an additional jail sentence. Collectively, our hearts go out to the families involved.”
In August of 2016, Pagan was indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury for one count of criminally negligent homicide, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
On July 8, 2016, Pagan left her daughter for several minutes in a plugged bathtub filling with water while she attended to other minor things inside and outside of her home.
The child’s father, Ryerson, returned home from work to find his daughter floating face down in a bathtub full of water.
The father took the child from the tub, started CPR and called 911. CPR performed by the father and a neighbor, with instructions from the 911 operator, did not save the child’s life.
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