Sherrie Dirk pleaded guilty on Friday to unintentional murder for the girl's death.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A foster mother has admitted to her role in binding a three-year-old girl with sheets, leading to her death in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota in 2017.
Thirty-four-year-old Sherrie Dirk pleaded guilty Friday to unintentional murder for the death of the girl. Her husband, Bryce Dirk, also pleaded guilty to charges connected to the girl's death last month.
According to prosecutors, on November 6, 2017, Sherrie Dirk immobilized the girl by binding her with three sheets and left her alone in her room with the door closed for hours. Neither foster parent checked on the girl during that time, until four hours later when Bryce finally went in and found the three-year-old child wasn't breathing. Prosecutors say one of the sheets was found around her neck.
Bryce Dirk will be sentenced for his role in the case next month.
Investigators found the girl was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Since arriving in the Dirks household, she had also lost weight, dropping from the 98th percentile in weight for her age to 5th shortly before her death.
Sherrie Dirk is expected to serve between 25 and 35 years in prison when she is sentenced on December 3. Bryce Dirk is expected to face 12.5 years behind bars when he is sentenced next month.
