Mom pleads guilty in daughter’s diabetes-related death

Click here for updates on this story

    ALTON, Illinois (KMOV) — A Madison County mother accused of concealing her daughter’s medical condition, which led to her death in 2018, has pleaded guilty.

State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons filed charges in late-December 2018 against Amber Hampshire in relation to the death of Emily Hampshire. Hampshire turned herself in and later posted bond, which was set at $100,000.

According to officials, the 14-year-old was diagnosed with diabetes in 2013 and previously suffered serious medical complications as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis. The elder Hampshire reportedly knew of the diabetic condition and took measures to conceal it. She also failed to provide her daughter with appropriate medical treatment and medication, which officials claim led to the teenager’s death from diabetic ketoacidosis.

Police were called to a home on Brentwood Boulevard in Alton on November 1, 2018 and found Hampshire unresponsive and not breathing. Emergency crews determined the teenager was in cardiac arrest. She was taken to a hospital and airlifted to a St. Louis hospital, where she died on November 3, 2018.

The search warrant obtained by News 4 states that in February 2018, the teenager was hospitalized or pneumonia and diabetic ketoacidosis. She was then reportedly prescribed insulin as a routine medicine after her release and provided with further information about diabetes, insulin and dietary needs. Three follow up appointments were also scheduled but the 14-year-old never showed up.

According to the search warrant, there was no evidence provided that shows the insulin prescription was ever filled. There is also allegedly no proof that the girl saw a medical professional regarding the diabetes diagnosis following her hospitalization earlier in the year.

The 40-year-old mother had been charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life or health of a child. She was formally indicted by a grand jury Thursday, January 24, 2019. She originally pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, she pleaded guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday.

She could spend up to 14 years in prison.

At the time she was charged, Amber Hampshire was put on leave by her employer, the Evangelical School. Amber also attended the school, which released the following statement:

“Evangelical School continues to mourn the death of eighth-grader Emily Hampshire, a bright and gifted student. We were saddened yesterday to receive notice from the Alton Police Department that Amber Hampshire, Emily’s mother and a preschool teacher’s aide in the school, has been charged in her death. Mrs. Hampshire had been placed on administrative leave following her daughter’s death, when the school learned of the investigation being conducted by both the Department of Children and Family Services and the Alton Police Department. Due to the now formal charges filed against Amber Hampshire, she will remain on administrative leave. We ask for continued prayers for our school and for Emily’s brother Ethan in particular. “

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.