A Reynoldsburg woman who ran an in-home daycare was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years for killing a 5-month-old boy in her care. Tammra Straughter was convicted in August of murder and endangering children in the death of baby Kash Crawford-Chatman, who suffered severe head trauma while under her supervision in October 2023.
The sentencing came after Straughter was found guilty in August of murder and child endangerment. As reported by WSYX, Straughter's defense attorneys claimed that Kash had gotten sick and that she had tried to help him. Her defense counsel now has 30 days to file an appeal, per the station's reporting on the appeal deadline from Hannah Buzza.
What Happened on White Butterfly Lane
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Straughter was alone at her home on White Butterfly Lane on Oct. 9, 2023, caring for Kash, his twin brother and six other children when Kash began exhibiting symptoms. He became limp at an urgent care facility and had to be intubated and given CPR for 45 minutes, the newspaper reported. He was then transferred to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where doctors found he was suffering the severe effects of head trauma, including seizures.
Kash progressed to brain death and died on Oct. 13, 2023, the same account states. A deputy coroner testified that the baby's brain was one of the most swollen he had ever seen, and that the swelling strongly suggested abusive head trauma from very violent shaking, the Dispatch reported. The Franklin County Coroner's Office ultimately ruled the death a homicide caused by a head injury.
Under Ohio law, a person sentenced to life for murder becomes eligible for parole at the expiration of the prisoner's minimum term, subject to exceptions and conditions laid out in the Ohio Revised Code. For Straughter, that minimum term is 15 years, meaning she will not be considered for release before then.
A Pattern Beyond Ohio
Straughter's conviction adds to a string of cases nationally involving infants who died while in the care of in-home providers. In Minnesota, a Brooklyn Center daycare operator was charged with manslaughter after a criminal complaint alleged she waited more than 20 minutes to call 911 after finding an infant in her care unresponsive, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. That infant also later died.
Kash Crawford-Chatman's death and the resulting prosecution unfolded over nearly three years, from his hospitalization in October 2023 to Straughter's trial, conviction and, this week, her sentencing. With the appeal window now open, the case is not yet closed, though for now the sentence stands as the maximum penalty allowed.
