Parents who left autistic 10-year-old 'zipped' in safety bed all day, didn't check on her until frame 'crushed' her neck face upgraded charges: Police

A Minnesota mates is facing upgraded charges successful transportation with the decease of their autistic 10-year-old girl who died aft being near unattended each time successful a information furniture that broke and "crushed" her.

Heather Lynn Cross, 50, and Darcy Ronald Cross, 57, person present been charged with 1 number each of second-degree murder successful the 2025 decease of Cecilia Cross, tribunal records show. Prosecutors allege that the mates unintentionally caused their daughter's decease portion simultaneously committing the felony of kid neglect and endangerment.

The Crosses past twelvemonth were charged with manslaughter successful transportation with Cecilia's decease and kid neglect implicit their alleged attraction of Cecilia's older sister, who besides has autism.

The mates besides face four further counts of wrongfully obtaining assistance by mendacious statements, concealment, oregon impersonation for allegedly collecting much than $5,000 successful assistance for Cecilia and Cecilia's sister nether mendacious pretenses. The fraud charges stem from their surviving daughter's stint successful protective custody, during which clip her regular functioning was "significantly antithetic than the behaviors reported" by the parents to get funds from the state.

"The overreporting of [Cecilia's sister's] behaviors and needs resulted successful a important summation successful the magnitude paid to Heather and Darcy Cross for the attraction of [Cecilia's sister] done the MnCHOICES program," the amended ailment states, referring to the programme that determines one's eligibility for semipermanent enactment services. "The overpayments based connected the misrepresentations made by Heather and Darcy transcend $20,000 per twelvemonth from 2022 done 2025."

As Law&Crime previously reported, deputies with the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office responded astir 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25, 2025, to a location located connected County Road 1 successful Pine River, immoderate 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

When authorities arrived, Heather Cross was performing CPR connected Cecilia. Officers tried to spot a defibrillator connected the miss but noticed her legs were stiff and that she was successful rigor mortis, suggesting she had been dormant for respective hours oregon more. She besides reportedly had heavy marks crossed her neck.

The caller, 1 of the parents, said their 10-year-old "had been crushed by her bed," constabulary wrote successful a probable origin affidavit.

"Darcy [Cross] reported that erstwhile helium recovered [Cecilia] astatine astir 1630 hours, [she] was connected her mattress with her caput pinned nether the metallic framework of the furniture with her butt successful the air, similar the child's airs successful yoga," the papers says. "Her cervix was stuck betwixt the woody furniture framework and the metallic framework for the canopy."

Authorities said they smelled an "overpowering odor" of feces and urine successful the room. Feces was dispersed each implicit the level and walls, per the affidavit. There was nary furnishings successful the room, different than a specialized "safety bed" with a canopy that besides had feces connected it.

Heather Cross allegedly said that Cecilia was a "fecal painter" and the information of her country was normal. She claimed her girl was nonverbal and besides has been diagnosed with pica disorder, a intelligence wellness information successful which a idiosyncratic compulsively eats non-food items.

Heather Cross besides described the miss arsenic an "escape artist." The different girl has akin issues, Heather Cross claimed, and arsenic a result, the Crosses "zipped" some girls into the beds astatine nighttime truthful they can't get out.

The parent told deputies she woke up sometime betwixt 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. connected the time of Cecilia's decease to springiness her immoderate beverage and medicine. However, neither genitor checked connected their "extremely high-needs" kids until astir 4:30 p.m., erstwhile Heather Cross recovered her girl unresponsive connected the mattress and nether the canopy frame, cops wrote.

Detectives noted that the canopy framework was detached, and appeared to beryllium successful that information for immoderate time. The furniture shaper told cops that it offered to hole the furniture but the suspects declined.

Investigators returned to the location a fewer days aft the girl's decease to find her sister confined to her furniture successful the mediate of the day. According to the affidavit, experts accidental that portion the kids tin beryllium successful their beds astatine night, they should beryllium allowed retired during the day. Confronted with this by a societal services worker, Heather Cross allegedly began yelling astatine her, saying she tin "zip the furniture whenever the f— she wants to."

On Sept. 17, 2025, authorities took custody of the surviving daughter. The parents were arrested the adjacent day. They presently person an omnibus proceeding scheduled for Aug. 3, records show.

David Harris contributed to this report.