Babysitter Accused Of Murdering Toddler In Her Care Dies After Collapsing In Jail Shower

An Oklahoma woman accused of murdering a baby she was supposed to be caring for has died behind bars.

Lesley Hendrix collapsed while taking a shower at the Canadian County Jail on Sunday afternoon, Canadian County Sheriff Chris West told the El Reno Tribune.

She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died, West said.

The sheriff's office has not immediately responded to Oxygen.com's request for comment.

Hendrix had been held at the jail since January 2016 for the death of Isabella Little Elk. The girl was just one month shy of her second birthday when she was rushed to a hospital in November 2015 with bleeding on her brain, KFOR in Oklahoma reports. She died the next day, local outlet Fox25 reports.

Lesley Hendrix Photo: Canadian County Jail

Hendrix was babysitting the child at her home when the she sustained the injuries.

The medical examiner’s office ruled Elk’s death the result of blunt force trauma to the head, which they stated could only be triggered by abuse. As a result, Hendrix was charged with first-degree murder.

Hendrix had claimed that she put Elk to sleep and noticed something was wrong when she couldn’t wake her up.

During a preliminary hearing, the child’s mother, Dawn Little Elk, testified that her daughter had a bruise and a swollen lip when she visited her child in the hospital, according to the El Reno Tribune. 

She had been using Hendrix as a babysitter for about a year before Isabella’s death. She testified that her daughter was previously injured in Hendrix’s care after she was supposedly struck by a ladder that fell over.

Hendrix’s case never made it to trial due to delayed proceedings, according to the El Reno Tribune. It is believed that Hendrix was the longest-held inmate at jail.

The cause of Hendrix’s death is being investigated.