(Emmetsburg)– A former northwest Iowa daycare provider charged in the death of a child while under her care has changed her plea.
According to court documents, 31-year-old Hannah Priest of Emmetsburg has now pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment resulting in death. Sentencing is set for November 9th in Palo Alto County District Court. Priest had previously pleaded not guilty in the case, which stems back to 2023.
Court documents state Priest found the 23-month-old child unresponsive on a cot on January 19th , 2023. EMT’s responded. The child was declared dead a few days later at a hospital in Des Moines. An autopsy determined the death was the result of brain trauma.
The Iowa DCI investigated and Priest was arrested September 1st, 2023. Priest denied the child had suffered any accidental head injuries while under her care and denied that any other kids at the facility struck the 23-month-old. In an interview with law enforcement in May, 2023, court documents say Priest admitted she was frustrated that the child had not yet gone to the bathroom at nap time and admitted to putting the child into the cot by his shoulders, adding that she may not have known her own strength.
