In a deeply tragic case out of Indiana, a mother has been convicted for the death of her 12-year-old daughter, stemming from a severe neglect of her diabetic condition. Forty-year-old Ashley Marie Bredhold now faces the possibility of spending decades behind bars after a jury found her guilty of two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. The decision was reached swiftly, with the jury in Vanderburgh County coming to a verdict in less than a day.

This conviction follows the earlier sentencing of Alice Bredhold’s father, Brent Bredhold, who was found guilty of a lesser charge. He was convicted last year for neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury and is currently serving a nine-year sentence in a state correctional facility, as ordered by Circuit Judge Ryan D. Hatfield.

The case is particularly harrowing due to the nature of Alice’s condition. As Chief Deputy Prosecutor Winston Lin noted, “This is a heartbreaking case where a 12-year-old girl with Type 1 diabetes was left to fend for herself until her untimely death.” He emphasized that the parents should have been the child’s primary support system, ensuring her health and survival. Instead, their failure to act led to a tragic outcome.

The events unfolded on July 4, 2024, when authorities responded to an emergency call regarding an unresponsive child at the Bredhold residence on South New York Avenue in Evansville. Upon their arrival, first responders found young Alice unconscious on her bedroom floor, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Vanderburgh County Coroner determined that Alice succumbed to diabetic ketosis, a critical condition characterized by several warning signs. As described by the Mayo Clinic, diabetic ketoacidosis requires immediate attention and treatment, making the neglect she suffered all the more devastating.

According to the Vanderburgh County Coroner, Alice died from diabetic ketosis — a serious condition which, according to the Mayo Clinic, manifests numerous telltale symptoms.

Alice was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in March 2020. Typically, children with the disease live “long, mostly normal lives,” prosecutors said, but Alice was dead within four years of her diagnosis.

Evidence revealed during the parents’ trials showed that Alice’s diabetes was poorly handled — and sometimes outright ignored — from the start.

For example, prior to her death, the Indiana Department of Child Services contacted Alice’s parents because her blood sugar levels frequently tested in an exceedingly high range while she was at school. In the state’s opening statement against Brent Bredhold, prosecutors cited a school nurse who reported 44 readings in excess of 300 and 14 readings above 600 in the weeks leading up to her death.

Blood sugar levels less than 180 two hours after starting a meal are considered typical targets for people living with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Witness testimony and cellphone data from Ashley Bredhold’s trial showed that in the days before Alice died, her parents knew her Omni Pen was not working but failed to get replacements, local ABC affiliate WEHT reported.

When the child complained that drinking water “felt like drinking acid,” Ashley Bredhold reportedly responded by telling Alice to “drink more water.”

“Parental responsibility is not a 9-to-5 job, to clock in or clock out when convenient,” Lin said. “That said, this was an extreme case where Alice was not properly supervised for years, and the long-term neglect placed her in a precarious situation that cut her life short. Of the hundreds of Type 1 diabetic kids under the age of 18 seen by her pediatric endocrinologist, she was the only one to have died directly due to her diabetes.”

Ashley Bredhold is currently scheduled to appear for her sentencing hearing on March 19. She faces a possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison.