After nearly two years of inquiry, the FBI has detained a couple in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl on the Spirit Lake Reservation.
Austin Lester, 28, was charged in federal court on Friday, April 19, with involuntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of child maltreatment.
He is accused of assaulting his three-year-old daughter, Ariana McKay, with a wooden backscratcher.
Krissy Hinsley, Lester’s girlfriend, 35, has been charged with involuntary homicide and two counts of child neglect.
The investigation began in August 2022, when McKay’s family reported that the youngster died at a Twin Cities hospital after consuming a full bottle of adult liquid Tylenol.
Ramsey County Social Services removed McKay from her grandparents in 2021, citing abuse allegations. McKay went on to live with other relatives, who her grandparents claimed put her in danger. They alleged that Child Protective Services never acted.
According to the indictment released on Friday, Lester and Hinsley’s disrespect for human life caused the girl’s death.
Lester and Hinsley are accused of failing to provide sufficient parental care by leaving McKay alone and unsupervised while allowing her access to acetaminophen.
The couple is being imprisoned in a jail in Rugby, North Dakota. They’re due back in court in June.