Lawrence mother gets 3 years of probation for manslaughter in death of her 5-year-old

A 25-year-old Lawrence woman has been sentenced to three years of probation after being found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of her 5-year-old child in April.

Rebecca Lynn Wynne was sentenced Thursday in Douglas County District Court after pleading no contest in November to a charge of reckless involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated child endangerment. Wynne’s child died after ingesting opiates found in a purple plastic Easter egg on April 27 at the home of Wynne’s parents in the 1500 block of Delaware Street, according to prosecutors.

The charges of child endangerment involved Wynne’s remaining two children, ages 6 and 4, who have been in protective custody since the April incident. All three of the children were playing with morphine and Oxycontin pills that Wynne obtained the day before one of them was found dead.

At sentencing, a state-licensed social worker testified that Wynne had demonstrated good behavior in supervised visits with her remaining children. The social worker said Wynne has been required to complete drug and alcohol treatment programs and would work to regain custody of those children in the future.

Judge Paula Martin said Wynne posed no danger to the community and had shown a dedication to rehabilitating herself.