Grandma Realizes Another Grandchild Died On Her Watch

9-1-1, where is your emergency? My mom left my niece in the car. We need EMS, like, immediately, please. All right. Your niece was left in the car? Ma'am, how old is your niece? I don't know. She's only a couple months old. Is she breathing? She's not moving. They're breathing. How are you doing, TPR? I'm fine. Oh, my God, she's dead. She didn't even fathom this right now. Oh, no. Oh, no. Mom. Mom. I don't know where she's at. Do you know how long she was left in the vehicle? I have no idea. I just pulled up. I have help on the way, but I'm going to stay on the phone with you while you're there. November 22, 2022, Hardy County, Florida. By the time deputies arrive, it's already too late. Eleven-month-old Uriel Nix has been pulled from the backseat of a red SUV parked outside her grandmother's home. Her grandmother, 65-year-old Tracey Nix, a retired school principal, is nowhere to be found. Where's his wife at? That's where I'm trying to get to. It's the second time in less than two years that one of her grandchildren has died while in her care. Where are you, Nixie? Where's his wife at? Is that her name, sir? Tracey. Tracey, do you know where she could be? No, I have no idea. She was here. We need to find her. Her name's Tracey. At some point, Tracey's husband waves officers over. Miss Tracey? I can't do this again. What do you mean again? I just forgot we was drowned less than a year ago. Okay, I understand. I cannot, I cannot do this again. Is this your grandchild's? Yes. I'm so sorry. In the same family. Tracey, do you have any idea maybe how long it's been? It could have been up to two hours. I forgot I had her. Okay. I took her out to lunch with some friends. And when I got back, I don't know even what I had on my mom, but I didn't get her out of the car. And I didn't think about it again until I was getting ready to get my other grandson and take him out to dinner. And all of a sudden, it dawned on me that she was with me. I understand. Okay. I need to drive in my car. I need to go somewhere. I can't do this. It's hard to be here. I understand. I cannot do this. I understand. I don't want to face anybody. Okay. I can't face my daughter. Okay. I don't want to be here when she comes. I can't do this. Okay. I'm going to get in my car. I need to just go somewhere. Well, I need-- Unless you're going to arrest me. I need to get a statement from you though, okay? If you need to take a statement, do it now. Okay. Unless you're going to arrest me. Her fear is not only about what has happened, but what it will mean inside her own family. A year earlier, Tracy had been watching her 16-month-old grandson, Ezra, who wandered away and drowned in a pond. No charges were filed in that case. But now, with another child dead, the shadow of that first tragedy hangs over every word she says. While deputies worked to keep Tracy calm and transport her to the station, investigators spread out. A crew of roofers had been working on the property that afternoon. Deputies asked them a simple question. Did anyone see a baby with Tracy? When the woman arrived here, was she alone in the vehicle, or was somebody in the vehicle with her? When she arrived here in the truck and parked here, was she alone or with someone? I saw her alone. By herself? He didn't know anything was going on until the first unit arrived. Did you see what was going on? No. When did you realize something was going on? When the patrol arrived here. Did he hear any screaming or any yelling? Did you hear someone screaming? No. The compressor was on. Nothing. And also, he's saying that the compressor was on, so he didn't hear nothing. At the sheriff's office, Tracy Nix tries to explain the unexplainable. The interview is not hostile. And she is not yet under arrest. But the weight of the past hangs over the room. I can't watch my daughter do this again. Two grandchildren, two accidents, both on her watch. Especially doing that. I was responsible. I just cannot do it. Do you keep her child often? Last week, I had her four days out of five. But typically, I just have her once or twice a week. Was there anything different about today? No. Except that I didn't expect to have her. And I picked her up and took her to eat with some friends. And somehow, when I got home, I just didn't even think about the fact that I had her. She must have fallen asleep in the vehicle or something. And I heard no noise. I didn't have anything specific on my mind. It's not like I was rushing in the house to do anything. I just forgot she was in the car. I just forgot. She insists it was an accident. But even Tracy asks aloud the one question everyone is thinking. Who could do that? Who could do that? Who could help? Who does that? What do you mean? Who could forget that a baby's in a car? Who could do that? Now, just so I understand correctly, Ms. Tracy, you said that you were going to get your other grandson for dinner. Yes. Okay. That had been planned for several days. Okay. I was hoping to leave around 3:30. Okay. So , and your husband were all there. had to go real quickly. Okay. So about 4:30 is when you went out to your vehicle. Yeah. About how long after 4:30 did you realize that she was in the car? I sat and talked to for probably 5 to 10 minutes with him sitting on the mower and me sitting in the car. And then I got out because her didn't come up. And I was going to see if I could help them. And all of a sudden, I realized, I just had that flash of what had happened a year ago. And then all of a sudden, I realized. Then I opened the door. So maybe like 15, 20 minutes? 10. About 10? Probably. 10? Okay. What was that first thing you did when you noticed? I cried and I ran. And I went around the other side of the barn where you found me. By the time Tracy is transported to the sheriff's office, her son-in-law, Yuri's father, Drew, has arrived at the scene. He wasn't there when Yuri was found. But what he walks into is devastation. His reaction is captured on deputies' body cameras. Please tell me my daughter is okay. This is the second time that he and his wife, Tracy's daughter, have lost a child under Tracy's care. For Yuri's parents, it is unbearable. For investigators, it cements the scale of what they're dealing with. Back at the station, investigators sit down with Cassie. Cassie is Tracy's close friend of 40 years who's been called in to offer support. Let me chat with you for just a second. How long have you guys been friends? At least 30 years, if not more. Okay. Is there anything you can think of that might be important that I should know? I mean, Kayla, you know, Kayla trusted her with Uriel. You know, we weren't really sure, you know, how all of that would play out. But, I mean, Kayla needed someone to keep the baby on occasion. When either they were sick or the little boy was sick. I mean, she trusted her. She gave her to her willingly. Yeah. She spent nights with him. Okay. Several nights. The rest of the family was sick, so Uriel would spend the night at their house. Okay. Have you noticed anything changing with her lately, like more forgetful or anything like that? No, just that she was always so attentive. Every time I'd text or call, Uriel was always laying on her chest. You know, and she was sleeping or she was playing, and I could hear her in the background. So, she was totally, probably overly attentive. This has caught me completely off guard. Okay. Because she was so proud that they trusted her. So, nothing malicious? Oh, God, no. Okay. And you said she called and said, "Probably a few hours in the car." And she didn't know because she was, you know, she was just. Got it. Just given that you were sitting here when her. When her and I spoke, the bulk of it, you felt like she was in her right state of mind in the way she was responding? Yes. I mean, I felt like she was very coherent, but she's blaming herself. Okay. I think you walked in the first time, and I said, "But, you know, that's what they call accidents." I said, "You don't have a wound in your body." I said, "If you don't involve them to kill a mosquito, you're not going to intentionally hurt anybody." That's true. Yeah, I know that for a fact. Okay. All right. Friends, this is a tragic accident. To prosecutors, it's reckless neglect. By nightfall, the investigation is clear. A late-morning pickup, a baby left in the backseat for nearly five hours. witnesses who never saw her parents who arrived too late and a grandmother who says she forgot i'll be in touch whatever you need you got it okay this time unlike the drowning of ezra prosecutors do not let it go tracy nix is charged with aggravated manslaughter and the question at the center of her trial will be one that divides even her own family was this really forgetfulness or was it criminal prosecutors have charged her with aggravated manslaughter of a child a first degree felony that carries up to 30 years in prison they argue this was not a single mistake it was a pattern we want to focus on her actions inactions and the results of those actions in 2021 her 16-month-old grandson ezra dies in her care less than a year later it happened again the defense frames it differently they call it a tragic lapse in judgment not a crime she forgot there's no aggravating factors here that make this culpable negligence as opposed to simple negligence they tell jurors tracy has been struggling with anxiety depression and memory lapses side effects they say of a combination of anti-anxiety medications and steroid injections experts testify that trauma from ezra's death could have triggered what they called a dissociative memory failure but prosecutors counter with the fact that tracy had been an elementary school principal a professional entrusted with children for decades and that her duty of care didn't disappear when she retired after four hours of deliberation the jury returns with a split verdict not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of child neglect resulting in great bodily harm under florida statute 827.03 the maximum penalty is five years in state prison the next question is whether or not she'll face prison time before sentencing yuri's father drew shock faces the courtroom he speaks of both his children one lost to water the other to heat and of the unbearable symmetry between them i'm supposed to come up here really explain to you about my child and we've been doing this for the past two years we're basically trying to put a price on my child's life with time time served in prison and a lot of you know here this is not the first time it's happened this is the second time but i'm going to keep this about her because that's what this is about it's about my daughter she was born on march 5th and she was a blessing a blessing to my wife to myself my son two months before that we had lost her our son and it was devastating my wife was six months pregnant with our daughter and when our daughter was born she was born into grief but she was a blessing she kept us because we were looking forward to her despite everything that was happening we were looking forward to her taking away a lot of that pain and she did she did she was our angel child she looked so much like her son it was ridiculous we've seen him every time we looked at her she looked at us and it would just cut right through us and we just we took that like it was god saying here you go here's your shop she wasn't oh she was a blessing as he spoke drew's tone shifted from memories of his daughter's short life to the circumstances that took it the courtroom that had been quiet in sympathy grew tense as he turned toward tracy and called out the failures he believed had been hidden from them i had some moments where i questioned everything when you go through stuff like this you question everything question your faith questions everything that you believe because you just couldn't imagine i thought i knew that the people i was saving my child with i thought i knew that so much was kept from us if we had been made aware we would have made other arrangements if we'd been better made aware of medications we would have done things differently what would you guys do in my position as a parent this happened not once but twice not once we got an apology not once they said true i'm sorry i'm sorry for what we did to your family i'm sorry not once we live in florida it's hot all the time i know everybody knows it you leave your car parked in the parking lot for an hour you don't even get in it imagine how hot it is in that car hey you get in you go to the grocery store 30 minutes you get out and it's blistering inside that car every time i do that i think about what my daughter went through for hours by herself screaming i cannot think about that for what for what in a hurry but i'm reminded by that every single day all i can tell you is that this is something that we will have to suffer with for the rest of our lives my son no longer has a brother or sister thank you then comes yuri's mother kayla's shock her statement traces years of pain from ezra's drowning in 2021 to the day she learned her daughter yuri had also been taken from her far too soon good morning your honor i i have a beautiful daughter your name was yuri lg shock and i named her from an angel from the old testament of the holy bible um she was nothing shy of an angel i had been on very strict progress my sole obsession was uriel i had been told by my doctors that i needed to choose i had to choose whether i mourned ezra or i saved uriel and so i put ezra in any version of a box that i could find inside my heart and i put him here in the name of protecting uriel she was my restoration she was going to salvage my family and that was never meant to be her purpose she was just meant to be a beautiful little girl kayla describes how she had once called her mother to save her daughter and she was never meant to be a beautiful little girl I wanted our family. I wanted to save something, mom. I did. I wanted to save something. And you win. And I don't sit and believe that this was an intentional act. I wore this today. You and my dad gave me because I'm still your daughter. I'm still your daughter. And nothing is changing any of this. I still love you. I hate, hate this. Kayla's words left the courtroom silent. Even as she looked at her mother through tears, she made it clear love and accountability can coexist. It's now Tracy Nix's turn to address the court. Friends had described her as devastated and broken, suffering with mental health issues since Ezra's death. Her defense argued that trauma and medication created a toxic cocktail that clouded her judgment. But now Tracy speaks only of guilt. Your honor, whatever your decision is, I want you to know that I'm already in prison. No one can do more to themselves than I have done to myself. I wake up every day and I think about it. I go to bed every night and I think about it. And I will do that until I draw my last breath. So you may feel like you need to do something more and I will understand that. But I do want you to know that I'm in my own prison and it will last all of my life. When Circuit Judge Jalal Harb delivers his sentence, his words are unflinching. He references both deaths, Ezra's and Yuri's. As part of what he calls, quote, a pattern the court cannot ignore. The defense had asked for probation, citing age, health, and remorse. But the judge disagrees. Tracy Nix and her husband had the 17-month Ezra at their home who died 11 months earlier. The grandchild, Yuri Oshok's tragedy is not an isolated incident. This is the second. The court watched and heard her interview. I do not believe she's showing remorse. I believe she's showing sorrow. There were plenty of signs to Tracy Nix that she had a baby in her car that day and she was responsible to protect it. She failed in her protection of Yuri. I will not fail this state or this community and my duties as a judge to fashion a sentence that I feel is appropriate for these type of charges. This community, I believe, is the only way to protect her. This family has lost two children, Ezra Oshok and Yuri Oshok. The tragedy of this case is undeniable. A baby's life is over way too soon and the family has been severely impacted in unimaginable ways. The court hereby sentences Tracy Nix to Florida State Prison for a term of five years in Florida or 60 months with credit for all time served. It's less than prosecutors had been seeking to get Tracy Nix sent to Florida State Prison for a five-year prison sentence. It's less than prosecutors had been seeking to get Tracy Nix sent to Florida State Prison for a term of five years in Florida or 60 months with credit for all time served. but far more than the defense had been hoping for. The courtroom is silent as deputies prepare to take Tracy Nix into custody. The case has split Hardy County in half. Some see Tracy as a grieving grandmother, while others see her as a negligent caregiver who had escaped accountability once before. The sentencing of Tracy Nix closes a chapter, but not the wound. For Kayla Shock, justice and grief will always share the same story. One filled with loss, fracture, and a mother she still can't fully let go of. - Despite the actions that I felt misled me, I'm not confused that my mother loves me. And I said that I loved her too, because that is true. And there's been times I've grappled with that. We left here today and I said, I struggle with the feelings that I have because it's inevitable. I still love her. - Okay. - And here we are. - Nobody wants to see that. - But I had to choose. - Motherhood or prison, that's the last thing anybody wants to do. But when you draw a line on the sand and you put your family, your family comes first, no matter what. And our kids come first. No, I didn't want to do it. But like I said, I can't look at my children. - I have to look my son in the eye and tell him that we fought for his dead siblings. I think that that is our bottom line, is that one day when we have to answer to specifically, who remembers Ezra, who remembers Uriel, I have to be able to live with myself. And I have to be able to at least say that we fought tooth and nail to make sure that their siblings were not forgotten. And that his loss is profound. And we are proud of him. And we're going to, I think he'll be with us again. That's what I would like to do. Thank you. - In the end, the law called it neglect. The family called it unimaginable. Two children gone, a grandmother behind bars, and a daughter left to both love and resent her mother in equal measure. Five years in prison and a lifetime of questions that no verdict can ever resolve. For Law and Crime Investigates, I'm Kristen Thorne. Thanks for watching!