Dennis Eckersley's daughter is sentenced to probation for baby abandonment

A mother convicted of abandoning her newborn son in the woods in subfreezing temperatures was sentenced Thursday to probation as long as she maintains contact with mental health providers.

Alexandra Eckersley, 27, the daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, received separate sentences of 12 and six months on separate charges, both of which were suspended by the court so she could return home.

Prosecutors had asked for at least a year in prison followed by probation. The defense asked for a six-month suspended sentence and for Eckersley to continue to follow doctors' mental health recommendations.

Judge Amy Messer said sentencing Eckersley to prison would create a significant likelihood of undoing the achievements and stability she has achieved since her arrest.

Eckersley did not address the court.

“MS. Eckersley, I must tell you, whatever your motivation is, whether it is your son or whether it is to avoid a period of incarceration, it will be crucial that you continue on the path you are on. I assume that if you do that you will be successful,” Messer said.

The sentences were scheduled to begin Thursday and end after three years, provided Eckersley continues to receive mental health services. She was due back in court on November 14th.

The charges Eckersley was convicted of – tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless conduct – would normally carry a prison sentence of four to eight years. The jury acquitted her of two assault charges.

Assistant District Attorney Alexander Gatzoulis acknowledged that Eckersley admitted her actions in court and has worked to turn her life around.

“On the other hand, Ms. Eckersley’s behavior was disturbing and almost led to the unthinkable,” he said. “Not once did Ms. Eckersley lie or mislead first responders. She did so repeatedly for nearly an hour to commit something as significant as concealing the whereabouts of a newborn child.”

Her lawyers said Eckersley, who has been diagnosed with mental health and developmental issues since childhood, was unaware she was pregnant and experiencing a medical emergency. They said she has been sober since her arrest, attends regular therapy and has been living in Massachusetts with her son and mother since the beginning of the year.

Her mother, Nancy Eckersley, asked the court for leniency, saying her daughter found happiness, purpose and fulfillment for the first time in her life through her son Teddy.

“Finally, at 27, Ally is okay, Teddy is okay, hell even I’m okay because I have my daughter at home. She is finally living with me and the three of us are living in what I can only describe as bliss,” said Nancy Eckersley.

Eckersley left home when she was about 20 to meet a man she met online, her lawyers said. She received no psychiatric treatment for years. She was homeless and living in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire when she gave birth on Christmas night 2022 at the age of 25.

She testified during her trial in July that she believed her son had died after birth. Prosecutors said her son, who survived, was left alone for more than an hour and suffered from shortness of breath and hypothermia as temperatures fell to minus 9.4 degrees Celsius.

Prosecutors said Eckersley concealed her son's location and intentionally led first responders in a different direction because she didn't want to get in trouble. Finally she told them that she had heard the baby crying.

Her lawyers said she called 911 and took her to the baby. They said the police didn't listen to them at first.

Eckersley's lawyers said a man who was in the tent with her told her the baby had no pulse. With no cell service to call for help, the couple headed to an ice rink. Along the way, Eckersley experienced a afterbirth but thought she was having a second child. She told a 911 operator that she had given birth to two children, one of whom died immediately and the other who lived for less than a minute.

The man arrested with Eckersley was sentenced to a year in prison last August after pleading guilty to child endangerment.

The Eckersley family released a statement shortly after her arrest saying they were unaware of her pregnancy and were in complete shock. The family said she had suffered from “severe mental illness throughout her life” and they had done their best to get her help and support.

Dennis Eckersley, who attended part of his daughter's trial, was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in 1972 and played 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. While playing for the Oakland Athletics, he won AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992. After his playing days, Eckersley broadcast Boston Red Sox games and retired in 2022.