Krystal Krause faces up to six years in prison after admitting to reckless homicide and child endangering.

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — An Ohio mother who previously served prison time after her 3-year-old son drowned has pleaded guilty in the suffocation death of another son, a 2-month-old infant found unresponsive in her bed in 2023.

Krystal D. Krause, 41, entered guilty pleas in Lake County Common Pleas Court to reckless homicide and endangering children, both third-degree felonies. The pleas ended the trial phase of a case that began with the infant’s death on Nov. 15, 2023, and moved into court after a grand jury returned an indictment in April 2026. Krause is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 13. Court records cited by local news organizations show she faces a combined prison range of 18 months to six years and a possible fine of as much as $20,000.

The change-of-plea hearing also brought the first reported public explanation of how the child, identified in court documents by the initials DK, died. Prosecutors said the infant suffocated after Krause placed him in an unsafe sleeping environment. They told the court that doctors and other caregivers had repeatedly warned Krause about safe sleeping practices for the baby, according to Cleveland television station WOIO. The available reports do not provide the exact wording, dates or settings of those warnings, and they do not identify each person who gave them. Wickliffe police were called to a home on Ridge Road on the day of the child’s death after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant. Officers found the 2-month-old boy face down on Krause’s bed, according to reports based on police and court records. Emergency responders could not revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities did not immediately announce a criminal charge, and the cause of death was not publicly disclosed when the case first reached court in April.

The later indictment alleged that Krause recklessly created a substantial risk to the baby’s health or safety by violating her duty to care for him. That allegation formed the basis of the child-endangering count, while prosecutors linked the same conduct to the reckless-homicide charge. By pleading guilty, Krause admitted the offenses rather than requiring prosecutors to prove them at trial. The public reports do not describe a separate written plea agreement or identify any charges that were dismissed in exchange for her pleas.

The timing of the prosecution reflects the gap that can exist between a child’s death and a final charging decision. Police began investigating in November 2023, but the Lake County grand jury did not return the indictment until April 7, 2026. Krause was taken into custody shortly afterward and booked into the Lake County Jail. The indictment was then unsealed, allowing the charges and the underlying allegation of reckless conduct to become public. Authorities have not released a detailed account explaining each step of the investigation or why the grand-jury presentation occurred more than two years after the death.

Krause initially pleaded not guilty at an April 14 arraignment. Both the prosecution and defense recommended a $10,000 bond, according to WKYC’s report from the hearing, but the judge set bond at $25,000. Krause’s family posted the required amount, and she was released while the case continued. Public defender Chad Mulkey told the court during the bond discussion that Krause was employed, had a stable residence and had no history of failing to appear for court, the station reported.

Her guilty pleas carried unusual weight because this was not the first time she had been prosecuted in connection with the death of a child. In 2009, a Summit County grand jury indicted Krause on involuntary manslaughter and child-endangering charges after her 3-year-old son drowned in a swimming pool. Investigators said the child wandered outside while Krause was inside the home. She told police she had gone to the bathroom for about 10 minutes while the boy was playing in the living room, according to WKYC’s review of the earlier police report.

The 2009 prosecution also ended in guilty pleas to reckless homicide and child endangering. The original involuntary-manslaughter charge, then described as a first-degree felony, was reduced to reckless homicide under a plea agreement. Krause was sentenced to two years in prison. The records described in current news reports do not state exactly how much of that sentence she served before her release or provide a complete account of any supervision that followed.

Although the two cases involved different circumstances, both resulted in convictions for the same two offenses. The earlier case centered on a young child reaching an outdoor pool without supervision. The current case concerns an infant placed in what prosecutors described as an unsafe sleeping environment despite prior warnings. The court has not yet determined the punishment for the latest convictions, and no sentence should be assumed before the Aug. 13 hearing.

At sentencing, the judge may hear from prosecutors, Krause’s lawyer and others permitted to address the court. The judge will then decide the penalty within the limits allowed for the convictions. Available court reporting identifies the Lake County Public Defender’s Office as Krause’s counsel, but it does not include a public statement from Krause explaining her conduct or addressing the prosecutors’ description of the infant’s death.

The case also leaves several facts outside the public record. Reports do not identify the medical professionals or caregivers who warned Krause, describe the complete sleep environment, or say whether anyone else was present when the infant was placed on the bed. They also do not reproduce the coroner’s findings or a full investigative report. Those limits are important because the guilty pleas establish the offenses, but news accounts cannot supply details that authorities and the court have not released.

For now, Krause remains convicted of reckless homicide and endangering children while awaiting sentencing. The Aug. 13 hearing is the next confirmed court proceeding and is expected to determine how much additional prison time, if any, she must serve and whether the judge imposes a financial penalty.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 4, 2026.