Springfield parents sentenced in death of their baby

Springfield parents were sentenced Thursday to prison in connection to the death of their 21-month old child.

Brandon Beedy and Caitlyn Heinzen were sentenced to eight years in prison by Clark County Common Pleas Judge Douglas Rastatter. The couple had previously pleaded guilty to attempted involuntary manslaughter. The eight-year sentence was the maximum the parents could have faced, according to a court document outlining a plea agreement.

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The two were charged in connection to 21-month-old Camden Beedy’s death. It was determined by law enforcement that the child had died from dehydration after not being properly cared for. They were originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering children but accepted a plea agreement last month.

Beedy and Heinzen’s legal troubles began on Jan. 12 when Springfield police and EMS were called to a home on the 1900 block of Kenton Street at around 6 p.m. A person who reported the incident to police said the baby was found unresponsive in his crib, according to a police report.

The baby was described in the police report as a 35-pound male with brown hair and blue eyes. The report is listed as a dead-on-arrival, unspecified death case.

“The baby suffered in that bedroom where he was left alone for what would estimate to be approximately a day,” Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Aaron Heskett said.

Heskett said in court that the baby had been dead for hours before anyone noticed.

During the sentencing, Beedy and Heinzen asked the court for forgiveness and requested the judge consider probation instead of jail time. They said they will have to live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives.

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“I wish I could take it back,” Beedy said during the sentencing. “I wish I could go back and maybe check on him more.”

“I’m very sorry for my son and I failed as a parent,” Heinzen said during the same sentencing.

Charles Ricketts, Heinzen’s attorney, told the court that drugs played a role in their child’s death.

“The overriding factor that caused this to happen is a very serious drug addiction problem,” he said.

However, despite the reasons and the apologizes, Rastatter still imposed the maximum sentence.

“They’ll be living, unlike Camden,” he said.

Rastatter said during sentencing that the parents tested positive for several drugs including methamphetamine in their system just two days after their child died.

After serving their prison sentence, the two will be on probation for three years.

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