A 67-year-old Florida grandmother, Tracey Nix, was sentenced to five years for leaving her seven-month-old granddaughter, Uriel Schock, inside a hot car back in November 2022. Nix was acquitted of manslaughter charges and was instead found guilty of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, a much lesser charge.
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According to Fox 13, the incident took place on November 1, 2022. Nix left Uriel inside a car after she returned from having lunch with friends. Baby Uriel was left in the vehicle by herself with the windows rolled up, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This caused Uriel to die of hyperthermia, as per WTSP.
According to a psychiatrist who spoke during Nix's trial, Tracey Nix had taken medications that reportedly could cause her side effects. These include issues with mental clarity, sedation, focus, and concentration, as power WFTS.
During the trial, Nix revealed that she had agreed to take Uriel while Kaila Nix-Schock, her daughter and Uriel's mother, went to a hair appointment. After having lunch, Nix gave Uriel a bottle, and then the seven-month-old fell asleep. Nix arrived at home and, after not seeing anything while looking at the rearview window, she went inside, leaving Uriel by herself in the hot car.
It was only when Tracey asked Ney Nix, her husband and Uriel's grandfather, when Kaila would come pick up Uriel that she realized what had happened. Reportedly, after opening the car's door, she found Uriel already dead. Tracey said that, at the time, she wanted to hurt herself, saying, "I wanted to be gone."
Similar Incident
Distrubingly, this is not the first time that one of Tracey's grandchildren has died while in her care. As per WTSP, back in 2021, her grandson, Ezra, Uriel's brother, drowned in a lake while Tracey Nix was asleep. No charges were filed at the time, as there was "insufficient evidence to establish culpable negligence."
One year later, Uriel's tragedy hit the family hard. Originally, Tracey Nix was charged with aggravated manslaughter. However, on January 15, 2025, she was found not guilty of the charge. She was, however, found guilty of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.
On Thursday, April 3, both Kaila and Drew Schock, Uriel's parents, appeared in court. They both gave heartbreaking remarks, having lost both of their children while Tracey Nix, their grandmother, was supposed to look out for them. Drew spoke about having to relive the memory of their child's death over and over again.
"As parents, what would you guys do in my position? As a parent? If this happened, not once but twice. All we can do as parents is try to see it through," Drew said. "That's all we can do is make sure this doesn't happen again. Because nobody thought it would happen a second time."
Mother And Daughter
At specific points during the trial, Kaila Nix-Schock addressed the judge and her own mother, Tracey.
"I do put forth the request that you honor my children's deaths when you consider the sentencing," she told the judge. Kaila would then turn to her mother and tell her that she still loved her.
"I'm still your daughter. I'm still your daughter," Kaila said. "And nothing is changing any of this. I still love you. I hate - hate that I have to choose. But you know I had to. And it doesn't change my heart."
Tracey Nix would also speak directly to both Kaila and Drew, apologizing for everything that happened.
"I would give anything, including my life, if Uriel or Ezra could be here," Nix said. "And I mean that. I would give my life if they could be here. But that is not how God wanted that to be. I wanted to die because I would never hurt your babies on purpose." You've got to know that. You've got to know that. I just would never hurt them on purpose. I loved your babies. With all of my heart I loved your babies."
Judge Brandon Rafool, despite Tracey's words and the psychologist's testimony, was not convinced of mitigating her sentence. Furthermore, Judge Rafool said that Nix did not display remorse but sorrow.
"It is impossible for a defendant who refuses to accept responsibility to show remorse for that offense," Rafool said. "Sympathy is not the same as remorse."
Tracey Nix was sentenced to five years in state prison, which is the maximum sentence for her charge. Nix has 30 days to appeal her sentence, as per WTSP.
