A Central Florida grandmother has been sentenced following the tragic death of her 7-month-old granddaughter, Uriel Schock, who was left in a hot car for hours on a 90-degree day in November 2022.
The sentencing comes after her 16-month-old grandson, Ezra Schock, also died while under her care.
Uriel was born nearly 11 months after Ezra’s tragic death.
Tracey Nix, 67, a retired school principal in Hardee County, was convicted in January of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle causing great bodily harm.
She faced up to 30 years in prison but was acquitted of the more serious charge of aggravated manslaughter by a Polk County jury.
On Thursday, April 3, an emotional courtroom in Wauchula, Florida, heard victim impact statements from Uriel’s grieving parents as the family confronted the devastating loss of their second child in less than two years.
Nix, who did not testify during her trial, told the court, “I literally forgot for a long period of time. I’m broken about what happened. I don’t want to leave anyone with the thought that I’m making excuses, because I’m not.”
According to an arrest affidavit cited by Fox 13 Tampa and WFTS, Nix had taken Uriel out to lunch with friends on Nov. 1, 2022.
She returned home around 2:00PM and left the baby strapped in a car seat in the back of her SUV with the windows rolled up. Inside the house, she reportedly spoke to her dog and practiced piano “for a long time,” unaware that Uriel was still in the vehicle.
It wasn’t until approximately 5:00PM — three hours later — that Nix realized the child was still in the car. Her husband found the unresponsive baby and began CPR, but the infant could not be revived.
Investigators later confirmed that Uriel died of hyperthermia.
Tragically, the family had already endured a prior loss.
In December 2021, 16-month-old Ezra Schock drowned in a pond near the Nix residence after reportedly opening doors, slipping under a fence, and wandering off while Nix was asleep.
She was not criminally charged in that incident, with the State Attorney’s Office citing “insufficient evidence to establish culpable negligence”.
At sentencing, Uriel’s mother, Kaila Nix-Schock, spoke through tears while addressing her mother directly. “I still love you. I hate this,” she said. “I hate that I have to choose, but you know I had to. But it doesn’t change my heart.”
The grieving mom added: “It isn’t about my feeling, it is about what I know.
“And what I know, is that my son drowned on a very cold day in their pond, and he died alone. And I know that my daughter died on a scorching hot afternoon, alone.”
Uriel’s father, Drew Schock, also gave an emotional statement, describing the efforts he and Kaila took to protect Uriel following their son’s death. “There are some things you don’t think about, and as parents we have to live with that for the rest of our lives,” he said. “She’s done this twice and the fact that we’re debating whether she deserves jail time is just insane to me.”
Despite Nix’s insistence that she was devastated and had sought mental health treatment following the incident, the judge was unswayed. In delivering the maximum sentence of five years, Judge Brandon Rafool emphasized the gravity of the repeated tragedy.
“Uriel is not an isolated incident,” the judge said. “I do not believe she is showing remorse; I believe she is showing sorrow.”
Following the sentencing, dad Drew told Fox 13: “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives… My son is going to grow up his whole life without his brother and without his sister.
“Um, you know, 5 years to me… Is it justice? No, not really.”
Nix’s husband, Nun Ney Nix, defended her character, saying that she has grieved quietly and avoids going outside. The court, however, weighed the back-to-back losses under her care heavily in its decision.
Nix served in Hardee County schools for nearly 40 years and was once described as a highly regarded educator.
The case has also sparked renewed attention to the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, particularly in hot climates. According to Kids and Car Safety, 40 children died in hot car incidents in the United States last year alone.
The safety group’s records show that in 56% of deaths, the child is left in the vehicle by accident and that the vast majority (87%) of children who die are three years or younger. Hot vehicle deaths are predominantly caused by heatstroke or hyperthermia, which occurs when the body overheats and can’t cool down.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 950 children have died in hot cars over the past 25 years, with 56 cases in California alone.
Dr. David Diamond, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida, explained to NBC San Diego that forgetting a child in the backseat is easier than people might think, especially when rushing.
“We have a powerful brain-autopilot memory system that gets us to do things automatically, and in that process, we lose awareness of other things in our mind, including that there’s a child in the car,” he said.
Advocates like those at Kids and Car Safety advise parents to ensure their vehicles are locked at all times so that their children cannot accidentally lock themselves inside. Another key habit is checking the backseat every time you exit the vehicle. Experts suggest leaving a key item such as a wallet or set of keys on the backseat so that you’re forced to double-check the area whenever you get out of your vehicle.
