Woman Charged With Smothering Grandson Was On Paxil!

Source: WCCO

"According to the Dakota County Attorney, Miller-Steiner told police she was on some prescription drugs, Paxil and an antidepressant, and she had two martinis over two hours. She laid down in bed with the child as she fed him and she fell asleep."


Aug 11, 2009

A grandmother has been charged with manslaughter after she fell asleep in bed with her infant grandson and rolled onto him, suffocating him.

Tina Louise Miller-Steiner, 45, of Lakeville was charged on Tuesday with two counts of second-degree manslaughter. The incident happened in May while Miller-Steiner was babysitting 6-month-old Evan Michael Berney.

According to the Dakota County Attorney, Miller-Steiner told police she was on some prescription drugs, Paxil and an antidepressant, and she had two martinis over two hours. She laid down in bed with the child as she fed him and she fell asleep.

One of her daughters came home and found Miller-Steiner on the child, and Evan was pale. Miller-Steiner told her daughter to call 911 while she performed CPR, but Evan was pronounced dead at the hospital.

"This was a tragic death which could have been avoided. Our sympathy is extended to parents and family of Evan Berney," said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.

In June, Miller-Steiner told WCCO's Bridgette Bornstein that she is heartbroken as she struggles with the death of a grandson she adored.

"I think about my grandson all the time. I think about how tragic the accident was," she said.

Tears streamed down Miller-Steiner's face as she described what happened the night she was babysitting her grandson.

"He was everything to me. I was totally in love with him. I was there when he was born. I got to help bring him into the world," she said. "Everybody who knows me knows how much I loved that baby. I would have never intentionally hurt him."

At the time, Miller-Steiner said she created a garden as a tribute to her grandson. She was in counseling, had trouble sleeping but she was trying to be strong for her daughters who were also having a terrible time dealing with the child's death.

"It is an accident no matter what the circumstances are and I will live with this for the rest of my life," she said.

Because of what happened to Evan, Miller-Steiner wanted to send out a warning not to share beds. She didn't think it was dangerous but now she realizes it can be.

Miller-Steiner made her first court appearance on Tuesday. Her bail was set at $200,000 and her next court appearance scheduled for Aug. 25.

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