Winter Haven detectives spent months checking a grandmother’s timeline before arresting her in the death of her 17-month-old granddaughter.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Cellphone information, Ring camera footage, toxicology testing and a medical examiner’s findings were among the evidence Winter Haven detectives reviewed before charging a 74-year-old grandmother nearly five months after her toddler granddaughter died in a parked vehicle.
Karen Denise Benyard was arrested Aug. 26 on one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection with the March 31 death of her 17-month-old granddaughter. Police said their investigation found no discrepancies in the timeline Benyard gave detectives and no evidence that alcohol or narcotics were in her system. The arrest came after authorities received both toxicology results and an autopsy determining how the child died.
The investigation began after Benyard picked up the toddler and another family member in Lake Wales, according to Winter Haven police. The family member had been caring for the child while the girl’s mother worked in Winter Haven and placed the toddler in a car seat in the back of Benyard’s vehicle. Police said the toddler fell asleep during the trip as Benyard drove the family member to work.
After the drop-off, Benyard returned to her home on Avenue North Southwest. Police said she parked the vehicle at 2:07 p.m. and went inside to take a nap, not realizing the sleeping child remained in the back seat. She woke at about 3:46 p.m. and went back outside because she intended to pick up the toddler’s mother from work.
Benyard then found the child unresponsive in the vehicle, authorities said. Winter Haven police and firefighters responded and began lifesaving efforts. The toddler was transported to Winter Haven Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:33 p.m. Police said Benyard was overwhelmed with grief and was admitted to a hospital for treatment before being discharged several days later.
Detectives continued investigating rather than immediately filing a charge. Among the evidence was toxicology testing conducted on Benyard. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement report was received May 22 and showed negative results for alcohol and narcotics, according to police. Authorities also reviewed her cellphone information and Ring camera footage from locations along the route she had described.
Police said those records supported Benyard’s account of the day’s movements and that detectives found no discrepancies in her statement. The evidence helped investigators establish a timeline of the trip from Lake Wales, the stop in Winter Haven and her arrival at home. The department has not publicly alleged that Benyard intentionally left the child in the vehicle.
A separate piece of the investigation arrived July 21, when detectives received the medical examiner’s autopsy. Police said the examination found no natural disease or physical injury that explained the toddler’s death. The cause of death was ruled hyperthermia due to environmental exposure. Arrest documents later cited by WFLA said the child’s body temperature was measured at 107 degrees.
Police said the totality of the investigation led to the aggravated manslaughter charge. Florida law places restrictions on leaving children age 6 and younger unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicles, including circumstances in which a child’s health is endangered. A criminal charge is an accusation, and Benyard has not been convicted. Prosecutors still must establish the required elements of aggravated manslaughter in court.
Winter Haven Police Chief Vance Monroe Jr. called the case “absolutely heartbreaking” when the department announced the arrest and said the agency shared the family’s grief. After her first court appearance, a judge granted the state’s motion for pretrial detention and ordered Benyard held without bond. Her criminal case remains pending.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 28, 2026.