Pennsylvania woman reaches plea deal after daughter, dog died in car on hot day in Maine
BANGOR, Maine —
A Pennsylvania woman reached a plea deal with Maine prosecutors in connection with the deaths of her young daughter and her dog.
Kelly Brown, 41, of Havertown, a Philadelphia suburb, pleaded guilty to manslaughter of a family or household member and to aggravated animal cruelty on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
A criminal complaint states that Brown’s 3-year-old daughter, Fiona, was found dead on Aug. 9, 2025, inside her mother’s SUV, which was locked with the windows closed in the back parking lot of a Milford convenience store. The family’s 13-year-old dog, Penelope, was also found dead inside the vehicle.
According to court documents, surveillance video showed Brown left her daughter and dog in the SUV hours before officers arrived. The court documents also state that Brown told officers she went to throw trash away when she was swept down the Penobscot River, but officers stated that Brown was not wet.
The criminal complaint states that the high temperature in Milford on Aug. 9, 2025, was 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The complaint, which was filed on Aug. 11, 2025, stated that Fiona’s body exhibited symptoms of hyperthermia, which was most likely the cause of her death.
Court documents state Brown was visiting family members in Maine at the time of her arrest. According to the documents, Brown’s mother was the one who reported her daughter and granddaughter missing, and that Brown had been posting “bizarre” things on her social media pages. The documents state Brown had told law enforcement officers that she and her daughter had been camping in the vehicle.
Brown was initially charged with manslaughter, but was later indicted on charges of depraved indifference murder and aggravated cruelty to animals.
A spokesperson for the Maine Judicial Branch confirmed that Brown pleaded guilty to manslaughter and animal cruelty on Friday before Penobscot County Superior Court Judge Bruce Mallonee. But according to the spokesperson, Mallonee is unsure if he is going to accept Brown’s plea and will defer his decision until sentencing.
The spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General’s Office said if Brown’s plea is accepted by Mallonee, prosecutors will dismiss the depraved indifference murder charge. In addition, the spokesperson said the parties have agreed that Brown will serve a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of 25 years on the manslaughter charge. The parties have also agreed that Brown will receive a 5-year sentence for the animal cruelty charge that will run concurrently with her manslaughter sentence.
The Maine Judicial Branch spokesperson said Brown’s sentencing will likely be held sometime in November.