Russellville woman found guilty of manslaughter in drowning death of two-year-old

RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. – A Russellville woman has been convicted of manslaughter in the 2024 drowning death of a two-year-old girl she babysat.

A jury found Lindsey Dover, 31, of Russellville, guilty of second-degree manslaughter at the Logan County Courthouse on Thursday.

The verdict was unanimous.

On July 10, 2024, the child victim was unsupervised by Dover on Pleasant Drive and walked to the backyard of a neighboring house on Creekwood Drive. The child victim entered a koi pond and drowned.

She was later pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

On the fourth day of the trial, the defense and the Commonwealth’s Attorney presented closing statements.

Dover’s lawyer, John Caudill, told the jury that the investigation had “chinks in the armor.”

Caudill questioned why the Logan County Sheriff’s Office did not interview the other children regarding the case. He referenced Dover’s son’s testimony that he let the child victim out of the home.

Caudill questioned how the investigators characterized Dover’s demeanor as calm. He referenced the testimony of the child victim’s mother, who said Dover sounded frantic on the phone call the day of the drowning death. Caudill Dover was offered treatment by emergency management services due to her response. He said investigators had made up their minds and were not going to change, despite facts.

Caudill cited different versions and timelines of the events that surrounded the investigation.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Neil Kerr told the jury that Dover failed to supervise the child victim and showed a consistent pattern of not being able to care for the children she was entrusted with. Kerr said Dover treated the neighborhood like a playground, and incidents like the drowning death were inevitable.

In his statement, Kerr discussed Dover’s pattern of “using” her 10-year-old son, who has several medical issues. Kerr told the jury that Dover used her son as a “scapegoat” when he took the stand to testify that he let the child victim out of the house. During cross-examination, Kerr asked Dover’s son which door he let the child victim out. Dover’s son said he let her out of the front door because Dover was sitting on the porch on a phone call with his doctor, which was proven to be untrue based on a phone call log retrieved from Dover’s cellphone.

Kerr told the jury that Dover was dishonest with her partner and her son, citing their testimony. They believed that Dover was on the phone with her son’s doctor, not her mother. They were only made aware when they testified on Wednesday.

Kerr stated he believes that the time Dover took between her son telling her that the child victim was missing and calling 911 was used to create an alibi for herself.

The jury left the courtroom at 10:45 am to deliberate. They returned at 11:45 am with a verdict.

The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the charge of second-degree manslaughter, which is a Class C felony with a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of ten.

In the afternoon, the jury heard testimony from the Commonwealth about probation and parole terms for each sentencing verdict per year

The jury also heard impact statements from the families.

The child victim’s maternal grandmother, Jennifer Campbell, testified that her family misses the girl every day and now has a fear of letting anyone else care for her daughter’s surviving children. She told the jury that she wants justice for her granddaughter and for Dover to be held accountable for her death.

Dover’s partner, Christopher Walker, told the jury that Dover is the “foundation” of their family, and her 10-year-old, who has medical issues, depends on her. He said their other children also have medical needs.

Caudill asked the jury for the minimum five-year sentence for Dover, stating that Dover has no previous criminal history and has no tendency to reoffend.

Kerr asked the jury for the maximum sentence of ten years. He told the jury that the child’s death was preventable and created permanent damage to the child victim’s family. Kerr said Dover will see her family again, but the child victim’s family will never see her again.

The jury left the courtroom to deliberate.

It returned with a sentencing verdict recommendation of the ten-year maximum sentence.

The jury was released.

Judge Joe Hendricks did not grant Dover an appeal bond and was taken into custody. She was lodged at the Logan County Jail.

Dover’s final sentencing is set for Thursday, October 30, at 1 pm.

Lindsey Dover, 31, of Russellville