Edmunds Audrey Ann - It happened to audrey: a Terrifying Journey from Loving Mom to Accused Baby Killer

IT HAPPENED TO AUDREY

A TERRIFYING JOURNEY FROM LOVING MOM TO ACCUSED BABY KILLER

AUDREY EDMUNDS
WITH JILL WELLINGTON

IT HAPPENED TO
AUDREY

A TERRIFYING JOURNEY FROM LOVING MOM TO ACCUSED BABY KILLER

AUDREY EDMUNDS
WITH JILL WELLINGTON

Copyright 2012 Audrey Edmunds

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, except for passages excerpted for the purposes of review, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, or to order additional copies, please contact:

TitleTown Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 12093 Green Bay, WI 54307-12093

920.737.8051 | titletownpublishing.com

Editor: Claire Gerus
Cover Design: Erika L. Block
Interior Layout and Design: Erika L. Block
Cover and Author Photos: Jill Wellington

PUBLISHERS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Edmunds, Audrey (Audrey Ann), 1961
-It happened to Audrey : a terrifying journey from loving mom to
accused baby killer / Audrey Edmunds with Jill Wellington. -- 1st ed.
Green Bay, WI : TitleTown Pub., c2012.

p. ; cm.
ISBN: 978-0-9852478-4-3

Summary: Audrey Edmunds was a happily married young Wisconsin mother of two with a baby on the way, providing casual childcare, when the unthinkable happened. Accused of killing a baby in her care through shaken baby syndrome, she spent 13 years in jail before her conviction was overturned. She was finally exonerated after updated science showed her innocence. Audrey shares her story of hope and redemption in the face of unrelenting odds.--Publisher.

1. Edmunds, Audrey (Audrey Ann), 1961 - 2. Shaken baby
syndrome--United States--Cases. 3. Shaken baby syndrome-
Diagnosis. 4. Judicial error--Wisconsin--Cases. 5. Prisoners-
United States--Biography. I. Wellington, Jill. II. Title.
RA1122.5 .E36 2012
616.85/8223--dc23 1211

Printed in the USA

I dedicate this book to my three beautiful daughters Carrie, Allison and Jennifer. I love being their mom and thank them with all my heart for staying strong during the cruelest times. They are my glowing inspiration in moving forward with positive intentions and hope that no other family has to suffer what we lived.

Audrey Edmunds

I lovingly dedicate this book to my husband Mark and children Lindsay and Mark. Their support throughout the long process of writing this book was unwavering and I am eternally grateful.

Jill Wellington

Me finally released from prison on February 6, 2008. I was wearing my friend Shelleys coat and boots because I didnt have any of my own.

(Courtesy Hank Snyder/Daily Citizen)

Our life is going to be great!

My husband Daves excited voice and soft lips on my cheek roused me from a peaceful sleep. I squinted at the clock: five a.m. The room was still dark except for the bathroom light that sliced into the bedroom.

Daves employer, Edward Kramer & Sons, had recently promoted him to manage operations in Burnsville, Minnesota, which meant a big move for our family. Now, he zipped his suitcase on the bed beside me as he prepared to return to his job 260 miles away. We always enjoyed his weekend visits back home, and I smiled groggily at his boyish enthusiasm as he contemplated our familys bright future.

Dave is a modern-day Fred Flintstone, working in the rock quarry business. When we began dating, Id always pictured him sliding down a dinosaurs tail, like Fred, at the end of his shift! Then, one day, he put me into a jeep and we lurched over heaps of stone deep inside the quarry, and he explained the colossal business of mining rock. The rocks were interesting, but I was far more fascinated by this burly, blond fellow who had come into my life at the perfect time.

Now, seven and a half years later, we were married with two little daughters and a baby on the way. Our little family was happily nestled in Midwest suburbia in the tiny village of Waunakee, Wisconsin, the only Waunakee in the world--at least, thats what the town sign says welcoming visitors to this wholesome slice of Americana. Wed moved here from Toledo, Ohio almost three years before.

As I stayed snuggled under the covers, I hugged my five-month baby bump, watched as Dave swept out of the bedroom with his suitcase, then rolled over to grab another hour of sleep.

At six-fifteen that morning of October 16, 1995, I bounced out of bed. Daves excitement over his new job lingered. Wed sold our house in September in preparation for our move next month. The thought of moving the girls to a new city and starting a fresh life seemed like an exhilarating adventure.

Like Dave, I was thrilled about his promotionhed worked hard for years to earn it, and the advancement would bring us more money and a bigger house for our growing family. That morning, I felt unusually energetic, despite my expanding waistline. I bounded to the bathroom to grab a quick shower before the girls awoke.

The boisterous hubbub of my neighbors babies and toddlers would soon take over my day. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world, with my life revolving around Dave and the kids and the babysitting I did for some working moms in the neighborhood.

I had quit working when we moved from Toledo to Waunakee; our eldest daughter, Carrie, was eighteen months old at the time and I wanted to be home to share her childhood. I soon became the neighborhood mom, and other mothers began asking if I would watch their children during the day.

That was how my home daycare business began. I didnt mind a bit: I could be home with Carrie and my soon-to-arrive second daughter, Allison, while tending several children from my neighborhood. It also brought in a bit of extra income.

Watching children was a perfect solution for me to be with the girls and fulfill my love for children, and I constantly planned activities for the lively brood.

Now, I scooped up eighteen-month-old Allison, who toddled into the bedroom to say good morning. Four-year-old Carrie was close behind, wiping wisps of blonde hair like both Mommys and Daddys from her sleepy eyes. I hugged them both close to me, still feeling the excitement of our move and Daves promotion.

At seven oclock, we were in the kitchen, the kids chattering at the table while I poured cereal into their bowls. The doorbell rang just after seven-thirty and I left the girls to greet my neighbor, Cindy Beard, at the front door. Id been watching her seven-month-old daughter, Natalie, for the past five weeks.

Mornin, Cindy, I said, holding the door open for her.

Natalie was crying loudly from her car seat and Cindy looked exhausted. She was fussy during the night, Cindy told me. I was up with her twice and she wouldnt take her bottle this morning.

Natalie usually drank a seven-ounce bottle of formula before she arrived at my house in the morning. Cindy told me Natalie had been on an antibiotic for an ear infection for the past four days, but now she seemed inconsolable. My kitchen was right by the front entry, so Cindy placed the baby carrier on the kitchen table, removed Natalies jacket, put it in the diaper bag, and picked her up to calm her fussing.

Meanwhile, I put the babys bottles in the refrigerator, leaving out a partial bottle in hopes that she would let me feed it to her for breakfast.