WENTZVILLE, MO (KMOV/CNN) – A Missouri family is seeking justice after the death of their 6-week-old son while in the care of his in-home babysitter one year ago.
Babysitter Kelly Schneeberger was charged with misdemeanor child endangerment in January, but the parents of Byron Matlock say they wanted a charge far more severe and they don’t understand why Schneeberger remains free.
"It gets to the point to where you don't understand why it's taking so long for any kind of justice to be served for your child,” said Darell Matlock, Byron’s father.
Byron was six weeks old when investigators found him dead at a home daycare in October 2016.
"No parent expects to get that phone call an hour after their child has been dropped off at a daycare,” Matlock said.
Autopsy results show the baby died of blunt force trauma.
Schneeberger first told investigators another child fell on top of Byron, but a St. Charles County prosecutor says the babysitter later admitted she fell on top of him.
According to court documents, Schneeberger acted with criminal negligence because she had a condition that causes her to lose balance and the house had “cramped conditions.”
She was charged with a misdemeanor after the medical examiner told police her story about falling could be plausible.
Byron’s parents say they are living a nightmare as they wait for Schneeberger’s case to go to court.
"I've been down, bad and in dark spots because I feel like I can't take any more,” Matlock said.
The baby’s father says he’s wearing thin a year after his son’s death as he has struggled through several court delays and medical bills involving Byron’s death totaling thousands.
"We've lost the house. We could not afford the rent. We could not afford to pay the car payments,” Matlock said. "I feel like my family has been thrown into the dirt, and the babysitter is just out living a good old life."
The case against Schneeberger is on the docket for early November, but Matlock says he’s not confident anything will happen to move the case forward.
"I would be more happy if she would own up to it and hold herself accountable for what she did than anything,” Matlock said.
Copyright 2017 KMOV, Matlock Family via CNN. All rights reserved.
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