CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – A Chester mother pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony child neglect and involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 5-month-old daughter.
Robin Varner admitted to inadvertently killing her daughter by placing a blanket over the child’s head to muffle her crying.
Varner’s legal troubles began when paramedics went to her Chester home after her infant daughter was found unresponsive in January of 2011.
According to a search warrant, detectives were notified that there was “an unusual amount of blood associated with the infant and it was not consistent with a sudden infant death case.”
The warrant also noted dangerous conditions in the infant’s room.
A preliminary report from the medical examiner concluded the five-month-old’s suffocated to death.
Varner faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
