A Douglas County jury has found Hanna Gilmour, 29, guilty of felony child abuse resulting in the death of her 22-month-old son, Layton Gilmour, according to a press release from the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Layton’s father, Jacob Birbeck, arrived at Gilmour’s Littleton apartment in November 2022 for a custody exchange when he noticed something wasn’t right. Gilmour allegedly laughed and claimed the toddler was sleeping. When Birbeck arrived at his mother’s home shortly after, he noticed Layton was not breathing and called 9-1-1.
The child died, and when investigators searched the apartment Gilmour shared with her boyfriend, they found cocaine, mushrooms, marijuana and fentanyl, which prosecutors allege Layton accidentally ingested.
“This was a senseless and preventable tragedy,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins, who prosecuted the case, said in a release announcing the verdict. “Every parent has a responsibility to protect their child. Instead, their mother created an environment so dangerous that it cost her son his life.”
Gilmour faces between 16 to 48 years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12.