Bail Denied For Mother Charged In Death Of 3-Year-Old Autistic Daughter

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The mother of an autistic 3-year-old found dead in her Oakview Village home in March 2025 recently had bail denied, along with her boyfriend, after both were extradited from Pennsylvania to Howard County.

Kathleen Amesbury of Columbia and Dale Brown Jr. of Hanover, Pennsylvania were arrested in Pennsylvania last month after a year-long investigation into the death of the Amesbury's daughter, Patch reported previously.

They were extradited to Maryland April 8 and on April 16 waived their bail review in Howard County District Court. They have preliminary hearings in early May.

Amesbury and Brown now face charges of first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a child under 13, second-degree child abuse of a juvenile in their household and conspiring to commit each of those crimes, court records show.

A news release from Howard County Police posted March 27 initially reported charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a minor were filed, but those charges do not appear in court records.

Amesbury called 911 around 8 a.m. on March 26, 2025, when she found her 3-year-old "vomiting a brown substance" and wasn't responsive, WMAR reported. The toddler had previously been diagnosed with autism and lead poisoning, and was taken to Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center before being transferred to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore “due to the severity of her injuries,” charging documents show.

Doctors found extensive injuries on the 3-year-old, including “tremendous swelling of her brain” and bruising all over her body, including her cheek, chin, neck, abdomen, ribs, hip and knee, according to court documents. The little girl died two days later.

Detectives determined the 3-year-old returned home from school March 24 without injury, and the only two people with the sole care and custody of the child before she was taken to the hospital March 26 were Amesbury and Brown, court documents said.

When police questioned the parents as to how the little girl was injured, they didn't have an explanation. They said the toddler had eaten a bottle of melatonin and had slept the entire day before she was found unresponsive, but they never sought medical care, court documents stated.

However, police found information during the investigation that both parents had searched where to buy smelling salts online, but nothing about melatonin. At one point during questioning, detectives asked for Amesbury's phone and she instead threw it on the ground and tried to destroy it, court records showed.

The medical examiner ruled the death a “homicide from blunt force injuries,” The Baltimore Sun reported, with contusion and hemorrhaging of the face, eyes, brain, spinal cord, abdomen, back, arms and legs, court documents show.

According to court documents, Amesbury had previously messaged Hanover that their daughter’s death last March “was a blessing in disguise” and that she had “failed as a parent.”