Dennis Eckersley's daughter 'thought baby died' when she gave birth in freezing conditions and left child behind tent

The daughter of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Alexandra Eckersley, has testified at her trial that she was unaware of her pregnancy when she gave birth in freezing conditions on Christmas night in 2022.

At the time, the 27 year old was homeless and living in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire.

A forensic psychologist earlier testified that Eckersley was dealing with mental health and developmental issues diagnosed since childhood, as well as substance abuse disorder. She was not receiving treatment for these conditions at the time. Her trial began on July 25.

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Prosecutors have claimed that her son was left alone for over an hour in temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius), resulting in respiratory distress and hypothermia.

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Eckersley has pleaded not guilty to charges including assault, reckless conduct, falsifying evidence and endangering the welfare of a child.

She recounted experiencing stomach pains on the day, initially believing she was constipated. Despite taking ibuprofen and medicine for an upset stomach given by a man staying with her, her condition did not improve.

Describing the pain as feeling like a "It felt like a knife stabbing into my stomach," Eckersley admitted she didn't know what labour pains felt like. When asked by her attorney, Kim Kossick, when she realised she had been pregnant, she responded, "when the baby came out of me."

She told the court that she didn't look at her baby and asked a man to check for a pulse because she didn't know how. "He said there was no pulse," Eckersley stated.

After experiencing bleeding, she said they decided to seek help but had no phone service. They began walking to an ice arena, during which time Alexandra Eckersley dealt with afterbirth, leading her to think she might be having another child.

The newborn was left behind in the tent.

When asked by Kossick if it occurred to her to bring the baby, Eckersley replied, "Ally had no clue what was happening,".

Asked why, she explained, "Well, I thought he was dead."

Eckersley informed a 911 operator that she birthed two children, stating one lived briefly and the other died instantly, according to her defence team.

Prosecutor Alexander Gatzoulis argued that Eckersley deliberately misled first responders to avoid repercussions and initially withheld that the baby had cried post-delivery. She was the only person able to direct them to her child since the man had departed.

"You did not tell them where the baby was," he pressed.

"That is correct," acknowledged Eckersley.

Gatzoulis highlighted that she affirmed "correct" when asked if she failed to inform dispatch or first responders about the infant's cries, adding she told an officer she would ring when the baby was located.

"Essentially what you were telling them is that they could stop searching and you would get back to them if you found the baby," Gatzoulis said.

"It's not what I meant by it, but potentially, that could be taken that way," she said.

Eventually, Eckersley took them to the tent, where they found the baby, alive.

On redirect, Eckersley admitted that some of the statements she made to police at the time were incorrect, but clarified that she was unaware of their inaccuracy. She expressed that her fear stemmed from the man she was with, who was also apprehended alongside Eckersley and later sentenced to a year in jail last August after entering a guilty plea to a charge of child endangerment.

Since earlier this year, Eckersley has been residing permanently with her son and his family in Massachusetts .

Following her arrest, the Eckersley family issued a statement expressing their complete astonishment as they had no previous knowledge of her pregnancy. They highlighted that she has battled "severe mental illness her entire life" and affirmed their unwavering efforts to provide her with necessary help and support.

Dennis Eckersley, present at the trial this week, was initially drafted by Cleveland straight out of high school in 1972 and enjoyed a prolific 24-season career in Major League Baseball, playing for teams including Cleveland, Boston , Chicago , Oakland, and St. Louis.

His most notable achievement came in 1992 when he secured the AL Cy Young and MVP awards while with the Oakland Athletics. Following his illustrious playing career, Eckersley hung up his broadcasting microphone in 2022 after many years commentating on Boston Red Sox games.