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Woman accused of smothering her infant child in Butte sentenced to prison

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BUTTE — A former Butte woman who pleaded guilty in connection with the 2019 death of her infant daughter was sentenced on Monday.

Audra Nickerson, 31, was sentenced in Butte District Court to the Montana Women’s Prison for 20 years with six suspended.

Nickerson pleaded guilty in March to a charge of negligent homicide for falling asleep on her baby daughter in her car near the Butte Police Department in September 2019. She was in the process of moving from Butte to Maine when the incident occurred.

After an argument with her husband, Nickerson left in her car and parked near Butte's police station, where she smothered her infant daughter by falling asleep on her.

Nickerson was not arrested at the time. She had moved to Maine and was arrested three months later after toxicology reports showed methamphetamine in her system.