Authorities investigating death of 18-month-old in Scott County foster home

JORDAN, Minn. (KMSP) - Authorities are investigating the death of an 18-month-old child who was found unresponsive at a foster home near Jordan, Minnesota earlier this week and the child's birth mother feels cheated. 

At 4:41 p.m. on Aug. 26, Scott County deputies were dispatched to a home on Morlock Drive in Sand Creek Township on a report of a child experiencing difficulty breathing. The 18-month-old girl was unresponsive when emergency responders arrived. She was taken to a nearby hospital and eventually airlifted to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, where she died on Tuesday afternoon. 

The child had been placed in foster care at the home in Jordan by Hennepin County Child Protective Services. There are no other children in the home. 

The Scott County Sheriff's Office, Hennepin County Medical Examiner and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the death, but no matter the outcome, Latasha Bacon, the child's biological mother, isn't pleased. 

"18 months is all we got. We got cheated," she told Fox 9 Wednesday. "We got cheated out of her life."

Bacon said her daughter Layla was taken from her when she she developed an opioid dependency after a shoulder surgery.

Bacon said she found out about the incident and arrived at the hospital Monday where Layla was in grave condition. By Tuesday afternoon, Layla was dead. 

"They told us yesterday that she had broken blood vessels on the back of her eyes, which is consistent with foul play," Bacon said. 

In a statement, Sheriff Luke Hennen said, "Our investigators are working hard to obtain answers regarding the circumstances surrounding this incident." 

Bacon hopes the investigation yields justice. 

"Whoever did this to her has to pay," she said. "They have to pay. 

Bacon also expressed that she has some questions for the foster family that allowed this to happen. 

"They didn't call us to say she was dead, we got the call from the hospital," Bacon said. "They said they can do a better job taking care of our child, well then why is our daughter dead?"