Inset: Karson Asfeld (GoFundMe). Background: The home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, where Karson suffocated in a portable playard, cops say (Google Maps).
Authorities in Minnesota arrested a 53-year-old woman allegedly running an unlicensed day care after a 2-month-old boy died while sleeping in a "cluttered" portable playard.
Janel Kay Dierkhising stands accused of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Karson Asfeld in Sauk Centre, which is some 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, deputies with the Stearns County Sheriff's Office responded shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2025, to a home in the 3000 block of County Road 186 for a child not breathing. When deputies arrived, they found Dierkhising performing CPR on the boy. Paramedics rushed the boy to the hospital where they pronounced him dead.
Dierkhising told cops she was caring for the boy and put him down for a nap in a portable playard. She didn't hear him for a while so she went to check on him and "found him on his side with his face in a blanket," cops wrote. When she picked him up she heard a "wheezing sound" and noticed that his lips turned blue, according to the complaint.
She realized Karson wasn't breathing and called 911. Deputies noted a pattern on Karson's face that indicated he was pushed up against another surface, possibly a blanket. The playard, deputies said, was "extremely cluttered" and contained a nursing pillow and two blankets. The playard has several warnings posted that caution people to "NEVER add a mattress, pillow, comforter, padding" and only to use the mattress pad provided by the manufacturer, the affidavit stated. Not following the recommendations could result in death, the manufacturer warned, according to the affidavit.
According to cops, an autopsy determined the boy died from "suffocation due to an unsafe sleep environment."
Investigators spoke to Karson's mother, who said her son was born healthy and she was paying Dierkhising $150 to watch the boy four days a week. Cops also interviewed parents of other children who said they had previously seen blankets in a portable playard. Parents had allegedly told Dierkhising that it was not an "acceptable way" for babies to sleep.
Dierkhising in an interview with deputies said she has been running the unlicensed day care out of her home for about 10 years. Deputies learned that Stearns County Human Services sent Dierkhising a letter about six years ago outlining scenarios in which she would be required to obtain a license to run a day care, cops say. The defendant allegedly responded to the letter saying she was disabled and not running a day care.
She was arrested on Monday and taken to the Stearns County Jail. She has since posted bond. If she's convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison. Her next court date is set for May 11.
A GoFundMe account description explained that Karson's mom, Nicole Asfeld, returned to work earlier than they wanted to because they needed to provide for their family.
"Nicole carried Karson for nine months, brought him into this world, and loved him with every part of her heart," the description said. "She had just begun bonding with her little boy, learning his expressions, his cries, his warmth, and in a single moment, her entire world shattered. No mother should ever have to walk this painful path, especially so soon after giving birth."
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