An Evansville dad has been convicted of neglect resulting in serious bodily injury following the death of his 12 year old diabetic daughter. A Vanderburgh County jury deliberated for less than two hours Wednesday before delivering Brent Bredhold the guilty verdict.
On July 4, 2024, 12 year old Alice Bredhold was found dead at her home due to complications with Type 1 diabetes. She had been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in March 2020. Following her diagnosis, prosecutors say Alice’s parents did not follow through with helping Alice manage her diabetes, despite being advised that Alice’s health would require constant supervision and being offered resources.
Alice was hospitalized several times in the two years before her death because of her diabetes, one serious hospitalization prompting staff to offer the Bredholds the services of a pediatric psychologist. Prosecutors say Brent Bredhold “did not follow through with the psychologist’s professional guidance.”
A forensic pathologist later determined Alice’s cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis, a “life-threatening condition” that develops when a person’s body can’t make enough insulin, so it breaks down fat, causing a build up of acids called ketones in the blood. Coroners also noted that Alice’s liver and heart were several times the normal size of an average 12 year old’s organs.
Vanderburgh County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Winston Lin said in a statement that Alice’s case is heartbreaking. “This is a heartbreaking case where a 12-year-old girl with Type 1 diabetes was left to fend for herself until her untimely death. Her parents should have been her strongest advocates to keep her healthy and alive, but unfortunately all they had to offer was apathy, indifference, and neglect.
“Parental responsibility is not a 9-5 job, to clock in or clock out when convenient. That said, this was an extreme case where Alice was not properly supervised for years, and the long-term neglect placed her in a precarious situation that cut her life short.
“Of the hundreds of Type 1 diabetic kids under the age of 18 seen by her pediatric endocrinologist, she was the only one to have died directly due to her diabetes.
“The true heroes in this case are the medical professionals and school staff who showed warmth and care to Alice and provided moments of respite in her daily life. Because of them, Alice at least knew that some people would fight for her well-being.”
Brent Bredhold’s sentencing was set for Oct. 23. Alice’s mother, Ashley Bredhold, was also charged in this case. She pleaded to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death in August 2024, court records show.