FL v. Tracey Nix: Forgetful Grandmother Manslaughter Trial

Posted at 2:07 PM, January 15, 2025

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (Scripps News Tampa/Court TV) — A Florida grandmother whose granddaughter died after being left in a hot car was acquitted of the most serious charges in the infant’s death.

tracey nix enters court

Tracey Nix enters the courtroom during her manslaughter trial Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Court TV)

Tracey Nix, 67, was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the November 2022 death of Uriel Schock. A jury found her not guilty of that charge but convicted her of leaving a child in a motor vehicle in excess of 15 minutes. She faces a potential sentence of up to 8 years in prison when she is sentenced on April 3.

The day Uriel died, Tracey told a detective that after she drove home from lunch with friends, she “just forgot” about the baby in the backseat of her Lexus SUV. It wasn’t until one of her grandsons arrived that “all of a sudden” it “came across her head” that Uriel had been in the SUV all afternoon.

Temperatures that day reached 90°F. A medical examiner determined Uriel died from hyperthermia as a result of being left in a hot car for several hours.

According to Scripps News Tampa, Uriel is the second grandchild to die under Tracey’s care. In 2021, 16-month-old Ezra drowned in a nearby pond after Tracey fell asleep. A judge ruled Ezra’s death could not be mentioned during the trial for Uriel’s death.

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 2 – 1/15/25

DAY 1 – 1/14/25