Bail lowered for mom held in girl’s death

By Matt Pordum

Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004 | 10:59 a.m.

District Judge Sally Loehrer lowered the bail for a 38-year-old woman accused of murdering her diabetic daughter, saying the woman is "not a danger to society because she doesn't have any more diabetic children."

Loehrer lowered Cheryl Botzet's bail to $35,000 from $100,000 and said she might have lowered the bail more but for her concern that Botzet might try to flee if the bail was too low. If Botzet does post bail, Loehrer ordered that she must report to jail once a week to verify that she is still in the county.

Botzet is scheduled to go to trial in March on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter, Ariel Botzet. Police and prosecutors allege Cheryl Botzet neglected the monitoring of Ariel's insulin levels over a period of time, which led to the girl's death.

Under Nevada law it can be considered murder if a child dies as result of parental abuse or neglect.

Botzet's attorney, Herb Sachs, said Loehrer's bail reduction was "somewhat fair," but wasn't positive Botzet would be able to post it.

Loehrer originally lowered Botzet's bail from $150,000 to $100,000 on June 28, but Sachs complained that amount was essentially the equivalent of no bail because it was so high as to be unaffordable to Botzet.

Ariel Botzet died of diabetic ketocidosis, a condition involving an acidifying of the blood caused by a lack of insulin. The condition can be mistaken for a cold or flu, the report says, and parents of diabetic children are instructed that if their child appears ill, immediate medical attention should be sought.

An autopsy showed the condition was a result of chronic medical neglect. A doctor told Metro Police investigators that if Cheryl Botzet had sought medical care for Ariel, the girl would not have died, the arrest report notes.