Investigators allege Alyssa Parkins covered the infant’s head with a blanket before taking her to a hospital without calling 911.

ALLIANCE, Neb. — A Nebraska mother has been arrested on four felony charges after authorities accused her of holding a blanket over her 9-month-old daughter’s head while the child cried, causing the infant’s death inside a camper in rural Box Butte County.

Alyssa Parkins, 27, faces one count of intentional child abuse resulting in death, one count of strangulation resulting in death and two counts of intentional child abuse that did not result in injury or death, according to the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The accusations are based on an investigation that began after Parkins and the baby’s father brought the child to Box Butte General Hospital on June 22. Parkins has not been convicted, and the allegations against her have not been proven in court.

Deputies were sent to the hospital that evening after the infant had been pronounced dead. According to court records described by local news organizations, Parkins initially told authorities that the baby had choked on a cracker earlier in the day. She reportedly said she removed most of the food and later found the girl unresponsive. Instead of calling 911 or requesting an ambulance, authorities said, Parkins and her boyfriend drove the child to the hospital after first calling the medical facility. Hospital workers attempted emergency treatment, but the baby could not be revived.

The condition of the child raised immediate concerns for investigators. A court petition said the infant’s hands and feet were so dirty that they appeared nearly black. The document also described thick areas of dry or dead skin across the child’s scalp. Those observations did not establish how the baby died, but they prompted deputies to examine the child’s living conditions and question the people who had been in the camper before she was taken to the hospital. The sheriff’s office said numerous concerns identified during that initial inquiry led to a broader investigation.

Authorities said the account involving the cracker was challenged by information provided by another child in the home. Parkins’ son allegedly told investigators that his mother had covered the infant’s head with a blanket and held it down while the baby cried intensely. The boy also reportedly said the infant had died well before the adults left for the hospital. The quoted descriptions attributed to the child appear in court records and remain allegations. Publicly available reports do not state the boy’s age, explain the conditions under which he was interviewed or provide a full transcript of his statements.

Investigators also asked the boy about discipline in the home. Prosecutors alleged in the court filing that he described Parkins spanking both children. Authorities then obtained a warrant to search the family’s fifth-wheel camper. Inside, investigators reported finding no running water and only a small amount of food. They also said dogs were being kept in a bathroom that contained animal waste. Officials have not publicly provided a complete inventory of the camper or said how long the reported conditions had existed. The two child-abuse counts not involving death appear to be connected to the treatment of children in Parkins’ care, though detailed charging documents were not publicly available in the sources reviewed.

The sheriff’s office arrested Parkins on July 1 after working with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Alliance Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol. Authorities announced the charges the following day and said the inquiry was still active. The most serious count, intentional child abuse resulting in death, is a Class IB felony under Nebraska law. The sheriff’s office said a conviction on that charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. The strangulation count is a Class IIA felony, while the two remaining child-abuse allegations are Class IIIA felonies.

The prosecution marks the second time in four years that one of Parkins’ infant daughters has died in a case that led to a child-abuse charge. On June 19, 2022, Parkins’ 10-month-old daughter, identified in court records by the initials M.L., died while in the care of her father, Riley Lenhart. The Nebraska Supreme Court later said a forensic pathologist found bruising and injuries on the front and sides of the child’s neck and concluded that she died from ligature strangulation. Parkins was at work when that child died, according to the court’s account of the evidence presented at Lenhart’s trial.

Lenhart told police that he had fed M.L. and her brother, put the boy back to bed and left the infant on the floor while he took a short shower, the Supreme Court said. He claimed he returned to find the girl not breathing. Lenhart contacted Parkins, who called 911. Emergency crews attempted to resuscitate M.L., but she was pronounced dead at a hospital. Prosecutors charged Lenhart with intentional child abuse resulting in death, and a jury convicted him after a four-day trial that included testimony from 19 witnesses and the admission of 51 exhibits.

A judge sentenced Lenhart to a term of 60 years to life in prison. He appealed, arguing in part that the trial court should have declared a mistrial after a forensic pathologist made an unsolicited statement that the judge later ordered jurors to disregard. The Nebraska Supreme Court rejected that argument in October 2024. The court ruled that the trial judge had adequately addressed any possible prejudice and that any error connected to a later statement read to the jury was harmless. The justices affirmed both the conviction and the handling of the challenged testimony.

The timing of the two deaths is notable, but the cases involve separate defendants, separate investigations and different sets of alleged facts. Lenhart’s conviction does not establish Parkins’ guilt in the new case, and officials have not suggested that he had any involvement in the June 2026 death. Parkins was not accused of causing M.L.’s death and was at work when it occurred. In the present prosecution, the state will have to prove each charge against Parkins with evidence gathered from the hospital, the camper, witness interviews, medical findings and any other records admitted in court.

Authorities have not publicly released the 9-month-old girl’s name, a complete autopsy report or a detailed medical explanation of her death. The available sheriff’s statement identifies the investigation as ongoing, while news reports describe allegations contained in a court petition. It was not immediately clear from the reviewed records whether Parkins had entered a plea, whether an attorney had been appointed to represent her or when her next court hearing would be held. She is presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Author note: Last updated July 31, 2026.