Mother of slain girl won’t be charged with selling fake drugs

Jen Lawson

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 | 9:21 a.m.

Investigators have decided not to pursue drug-related charges against a mother whose two daughters were stabbed in Mesquite two months ago.

However, investigators are still gathering evidence against Tammy Bergeron that may lead to child neglect or endangerment charges.

Bergeron and her boyfriend, Robert Schmidt, allegedly sold salt to 19-year-old Beau Maestas for $120 and told him it was methamphetamine.

Police allege Maestas, angry over the deal, broke into Bergeron's trailer to get his money back, and stabbed her two daughters. Kristyanna Cowan, 3, was killed and Brittney Bergeron, 10, is paralyzed.

Lt. Matt Alberto of the Nevada Department of Investigations said authorities considered charging Bergeron under the state's "turkey law," which makes it a crime to misrepresent and sell a substance as an illegal drug. But in order to secure a conviction under that charge, Alberto said, "we'd have to depend on the testimony of the murder suspect."

Police are still investigating the alleged neglect and endangerment. The girls were often left home alone, according to neighbors in the RV park at the CasaBlanca hotel where Bergeron, Schmidt and the girls lived.

Police said that when the stabbing occurred, Bergeron and Schmidt were playing slot machines in the casino.

"We're trying to track down former neighbors, former co-workers, employers," Alberto said.

Brittney Bergeron spent two weeks at University Medical Center, then was transferred to HealthSouth Hospital, a long-term acute care facility in Las Vegas. Brittney's spinal cord was severed during the attack, paralyzing her from the waist down.

She is expected to be released in mid-April.

Susan Klein-Rothschild, director of the county Department of Family Services, said a decision has not been made as to where Brittney will live once she is released.

Tammy Bergeron and her former husband, Kevin, Brittney's father, are involved in a custody dispute, and child welfare authorities currently have temporary custody of Brittney.