What did Lauren Kay Dean do? Texas mom pleads guilty to murder of bedridden daughter

A Texas mother, Lauren Kay Dean, who confessed to killing her bedridden 7-year-old daughter in 2020, entered a plea of guilty on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. As per the court documents, the victim was identified as Jordynn Barrera.

She was also charged with a life sentence plus 20 years in jail for two additional counts of abandoning a child in danger.

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Lauren Kay Dean allegedly tried to prove to authorities that everything was OK at her home

Based on a criminal complaint, Lauren Kay Dean left her three children alone at home to go to a party at a local bar. Her three kids, a three-month-old, a five-year-old and seven-year-old Jordynn Barrera, who was bedridden due to medical concerns.

On January 31, 2020, around 2:36 pm, police from Bay City, around 80 miles from Houston, Texas went to Dean's place to conduct a welfare check. The complaint states that Lauren Kay Dean, who was 26 at the time, was home and allowed police inside her apartment to prove that her children were safe.

However, once officers entered the property, they found that Lauren Kay Dean's seven-year-old daughter Jordynn was dead.

Barrera, who was non-verbal and had cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, needed round-the-clock care and a feeding tube. She allegedly passed away after she was left alone with her younger siblings while their mother was out.

Soon after, Dean was booked into the Matagorda County Jail. She reportedly entered a guilty plea in an attempt to avoid a jury trial and a potential death penalty.

Fox News reported that Lauren Kay Dean's other two kids were removed from the house by authorities after they found Jordynn dead.

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Approximate number of abandoning of child in USA

Each year, more than 7,000 American children are left orphaned or abandoned. The likelihood of emotional disorders, low self-esteem, and other mental and physical problems in these kids is quite high.

The concept of child abandonment is extremely broad and encompasses a variety of actions and punishments that range from state to state.

In general, child abandonment happens when a parent or guardian either neglects their child's needs or completely abandons them, disregarding their welfare and safety. It also happens when a parent/guardian drops their child at a certain location without the intent of picking them up again.

While some jurisdictions have laws that clearly define abandoning a child as a crime, several other states combine child abandonment statuses together with other laws that address child maltreatment.

Examples of child abandoment include:

• Leaving a child in the care of another individual without making arrangements for their upkeep.
• Six months without a regular visitation schedule with the child.
• Refusing to answer the summons of child custody or child protection.
• Leaving a youngster home alone for a sufficient period of time to risk harm.

Several states classify abandonment as a felony and include situations where the child is physically abandoned with the intent of giving up all rights and responsibilities of the child. Meanwhile, some states classify abandonment as a misdemeanor and it holds lesser penalties.