Lyndsey Fiddler stuffed her 10-day-old baby, Maggie Mae Trammel, into the washing machine with a pile of laundry. She proceeded to start the machine, never realizing she had placed the baby inside the washer. Lyndsey had smoked methamphetamines earlier in the day. After starting the machine, she laid down on the couch and dosed off. It was November 4, 2010, a day Rhonda Cashatt will never forget. She immediately knew something was wrong when she saw Lyndsey lying on the couch in a meth-induced whateverthefuck. The baby went through an entire wash cycle by the time Aunt Rhonda found her crumbled and mangled body in the washing machine.
911 Call: My Baby is D-ead
There was Cashatt on the phone with 911 when Fiddler finally woke up. “My baby is dead” can be heard yelling from the background during the call. It is then heard that she says her aunt ki*lled Maggie Mae. You can hear Cashatt say in the call, “No, I did not k*ill your baby, you did.”
When the paramedics got to the house, they were desperately trying to bring Maggie Mae back to life. They took her to a nearby hospital, but when they got there, they said she was dead.
Fiddler was taken into custody and charged with manslaughter. Her two sons, aged 3 and 4, were taken into protective custody.
Family Was Concerned About Children
Family and friends were worried and called social services before Maggie Mae was born. Fiddler already had two kids, and she didn’t seem to care that she was addicted to dr*ugs and living a bad life. She didn’t give up meth while she was pregnant. People who knew Fiddler well were afraid that one day she would hurt a child. She has been arrested many times and has been found guilty of assault and dr*ug possession. When Fiddler was in her fourth month of pregnancy, she was arr*ested for having meth on her. At the time, she was high on the dr*ug.
Hannah Fiddler’s boyfriend and Maggie Mae’s father, Benjamin Fiddler, stood by her and said she didn’t mean to hurt the baby.
“Inside my heart, I can’t believe Lyndsey would have hurt our little girl. I don’t believe it in my heart to be honest with you,” the man said.
Death Ruled a Homicide
Maggie Mae drowned and died, so the Medical Examiner said her death was a m*urder. According to the report, the baby had a lot of cuts and scrapes that looked like they would happen “while in the washing machine during a wash cycle.” Toxicology tests did not find any dr*ugs or al*cohol in the baby’s body.
Fiddler Pleaded Guilty/Sentencing
Fiddler admitted to k*illing a child and neglecting them. The toxicology report for her showed that she had methamphetamine and several other dru*gs in her body.
“I omitted to use ordinary care and caution in regards to supervising Maggie Mae by using and abusing methamphetamine and prescription dru*gs,” Fiddler wrote in her court disposition.
She was sentenced to four years on the manslaughter conviction and a split 30-year term on child neglect with 15 years to serve in prison and 15 years of intensive probation once she is released.
“Meth is something that grabs a hold of you and you just can’t explain.”- Joe Parrott, Toxicologist
Substance Abu*se Help
If you or someone you care about is having trouble with dr*ug addiction, you can get free, private help.
In the US, the SAMHSA hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Helpful people can be reached at 1-800-662-4357.
Faces & Voices of Recovery was started in 2001 and is an advocacy group for people who have been sober for a long time. You can find out more about them at facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.
Teens and parents of teens who are struggling with dr*ug and a*lcohol addiction can get help and information from the Partnership for a D*rug-Free America. You can find out more about them at drugfree.org.
The National Dr*ug Ab*use Treatment Clinical Trials Network has information for people who are interested in clinical trial testing that promises to help with substance abu*se. For more information, go to druga*buse.gov/about-nida-organization/cctn/ctn or clinicaltrials.gov.
