(Cass Co.) A plea agreement has been reached in the State of Iowa’s case against Alison Elaine Dorsey, a former daycare provider from Massena. Sentencing is scheduled for February 26, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., canceling a jury trial that had been set to begin February 24.
According to court documents, Dorsey has pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter and Child Endangerment Causing Death. In the plea agreement, Dorsey admits that on or about October 7, 2019, “I was caring for (the infant) and I picked him up, he was fussy and wouldn’t eat, I rocked him in my arms harder than I should have, I regret that, I unintentionally caused (the infant’s) death.”
Pleading guilty to a charge of Involuntary Manslaughter; Dorsey faces an indeterminate prison term not to exceed five years, with credit for time already served.
Dorsey’s initial trial in Cass County ended in a hung jury, leading to a second trial in Pottawattamie County. Dorsey was convicted by a jury in Pottawattamie County District Court in June 2023 in connection with the death of a child under her care in Massena. Her attorneys argued the venue change was inappropriate, that she was denied the opportunity to present additional character witnesses, and that the court erred in denying her motion for a new trial. The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed that evidence was sufficient to support Dorsey’s conviction for second-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death, but found the case had been improperly moved from Cass County to Pottawattamie County. Because of that venue error, the court ordered a new trial.
Again, the trial that had been scheduled for next week will no longer take place following the plea agreement.
