Woman accused of allowing disabled daughter to die rejects plea deal

The woman accused of allowing her disabled daughter to die rejected a plea offer in the case.

Amber Geier, of Rotterdam, is facing manslaughter and other charges in the death of 24-year-old Skylar Pettit, who had Down Syndrome and diabetes. Investigators said Geier “gave up” and stopped caring for her daughter. She allegedly did not purchase insulin and allowed her to waste away.

Pettit died of natural causes in the Greenwood Avenue home sometime in April 2023.

Her body was found in July 2023 wrapped in plastic on her bed. It had been there for months. Geier was arrested in April of this year.

Geier appeared in Schenectady County Court on Thursday. Prosecutors offer a deal in which she would have pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, concealment of a human corpse and grand larceny. In exchange, she would receive a sentence of 4 to 12 years in prison.

In addition, she would have been barred from owning pets for 50 to 100 years. She would also be required to pay restitution in the amount of $5,484, which police said are Pettit’s Social Security benefits she illegally collected on her daughter’s behalf after she died.

Geier declined and said she wished to hire a private attorney and requested to return to court in about a month.