Overview
- Prosecutors say on April 12, 2026 an 18-month-old boy choked on an unpopped popcorn kernel while visiting his mother in Merrick and was found unresponsive with kernels and toys strewn nearby.
- A Nassau County grand jury indicted Olivia Bithorn on one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and she has pleaded not guilty.
- The district attorney’s office provided photographs showing a nearly empty bottle of vodka in the home and says investigators estimate the child was dead for more than an hour before 911 was called.
- Prosecutors told the court about prior alcohol-related incidents, including alleged drunk-driving crashes and repeated rehab stays, and argued that history shows ongoing risk to the children.
- A judge set bail at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond, ordered her held after she lost the ability to continue funded treatment, and she is due back in court on July 23, 2026 with a potential sentence of roughly five to 15 years if convicted.