Tuesday, May 18, 1999

Baby, rescued from trash can, dies

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Mother convicted, faces sentencing

BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Holly Ann Mackey, dubbed 'Baby Hope,' was living with her father, Danny Richardson. | ZOOM |

        LEBANON — The short and tragic life of Holly Ann Mackey is over.

        Put into a factory trash can at birth, the infant became the focus of a criminal investigation that led to the conviction of her mother on charges of attempted murder and child endangering. She died Saturday at Children's Medical Center in Dayton.

        Holly Ann was born Dec. 14, six weeks premature and suffering from a fatal and brain-damaging birth defect called hydrocephaly, a genetic condition causing severe mental retardation and an inability to develop normally. Doctors said the defect would shorten the child's life. They said the condition was not related to her abandonment.

        Now, the circumstances of her birth have become part of an investigation into her death.

Deborah Mackey

        Warren County Prosecutor Tim Oliver said Monday he may pursue more serious charges against Holly Ann's mother if the baby's death is directly linked to her abandonment.

        An autopsy, conducted Sunday by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office, will determine the cause of Holly Ann's death. Results are expected in four to six weeks.

        “If they make a direct connection between the original incident and her death, additional charges could be brought,” Mr. Oliver said. “It's highly speculative at this point ... given the nature of her condition anyway.”

        Hospital officials would say only that Holly Ann was driven to the hospital in a private car. They declined further details.

        Holly Ann's mother, Deborah Mackey, is expected to be sentenced next month for trying to kill the child. She was found guilty of attempted murder May 4 after Warren County Common Pleas Judge P. Daniel Fedders rejected an insanity defense. She also was convicted of child endangering.

        Ms. Mackey, 39, of Liberty Township faces up to 10 years in prison. She remains free on a $50,000 bond.

        Her lawyer said any implication that Ms. Mackey was responsible for her daughter's death is “irresponsible and unfair.”

        “I think for them to attribute this to Debbie is completely irresponsible because there is no evidence that that took place,” Donald Oda II said. “Everybody knew that this baby was not going to live very long. There is no way they can make the case.”

        He said Ms. Mackey, who had last visited Holly Ann early last week, was devastated by her daughter's death.

        “Everybody assumes that because of the facts and the circumstances that have gotten so much press, Debbie does not have any feelings for that baby ... that she was a cold, calculating baby killer. That's just not the case. She does have feelings for that baby,” Mr. Oda said.

        Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. todayat Eaton-Anderson Funeral Home, 121 E. Second St., Franklin. A funeral service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

        Holly Ann's father, Danny Richardson of Springboro, could not be reached Monday. He was granted custody of his daughter and cared for her at home after her release from Children's Hospital in February.

        Cradling Holly Ann in a blanket at the trial of the infant's mother, he talked of his devotion to his daughter and lamented that her life would be short. He wished for a miracle.

        “I love her to death, and I'm sorry for what happened to her,” Mr. Richardson said then. “Miracles happen every day. I want her to live as long as possible.”

        Holly Ann captured the hearts of employees at Ample Industries, who nicknamed her Baby Hope about two weeks before Christmas.

        Many of them took the stand earlier this month, testifying against Ms. Mackey, who had worked at the Franklin factory for two months before she gave birth to Holly Ann prematurely and abandoned her.

        Prosecutors painted Ms. Mackey as a selfish woman who did not want children. But Ms. Mackey's lawyer contended she was incapacitated by a severe mental illness and did not understand what she was doing when she put Holly Ann in the trash.

        The ordeal is one that still haunts Ethel Creager, the cleaning woman who found Holly Ann in the restroom trash can.

        “Not a night goes by I don't think about it or see it. I think it will always be this way,” Mrs. Creager said from her Middletown home Monday. “I wished I could have done more for her. But I guess she's better off now.”

       

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