Lansing mother of newborn baby found dead had lost parental rights to 6 other children

LANSING — A newborn baby found dead in her missing mother's car last week had no signs of injury or trauma on her body, police said. 

Ashley Shade, 35, and her 6-day-old daughter were reported missing March 18. The baby girl was found dead in Shade's car the afternoon of March 19.

Police don't know the cause of death and are waiting for final test results to come back before they determine that, Lansing Police Department Public Information Director Robert Merritt said. Shade remains missing.

Officers were called March 18 to an apartment complex in 900 block of North Pine Street for a complaint of an unresponsive infant, according to a Child Protective Services petition to terminate parental rights for the father. Two girls, both of whom are under 10, were found home alone but Shade and the baby were gone. 

The father of the girls returned home and told police the baby — the same one who was later found dead in Shade's car — had been born in the bathroom, according to CPS records. 

Earlier that day, he said Shade had called him, saying "her baby was not breathing," according to the records. When he returned home, her saw Shade crying but thought the baby looked fine, like she was sleeping. He didn't contact any emergency services to report that the baby was not breathing, according to the CPS report. 

Police were called later that evening and found the two children under 10 in the home.

Shade has six other children, the oldest of which just turned 18. The state has revoked her parental rights to all those children. 

Testing positive for drugs

Four of Shade's six other children tested positive for drugs when they were born, according to CPS reports. Toxicology reports have not been released for her seventh child, the one who was found dead in her car. 

Shade tested positive for marijuana and cocaine during her pregnancies, as did the babies once they were born. 

CPS reports said there was an "unreasonable risk of harm" if they left the children in Shade's care. 

So, for her sixth child, Shade stayed home to have the baby to avoid CPS, according to a complaint CPS received the day the baby was born. 

CPS received a second complaint the next day, saying Shade gave birth at 5:30 a.m. and didn't arrive at the hospital until 13 hours later, according to CPS records. The baby tested positive for drugs and was showing some withdrawal symptoms. 

Shade left the hospital against medical advice a day later, leaving her daughter behind, according to CPS records. She missed 28 visits with the baby, didn't sign her birth certificate and missed 91 days of parenting time with her daughter. 

The baby was put up for adoption, which was finalized in October 2018. 

Still missing

Although Shade's vehicle has been found, she is still missing. 

Police have said she is likely in need of medical attention after giving birth.

She was last seen in the area of South Washington Avenue and Holmes Road, according to a missing/endangered alert sent by Michigan State Police on Monday evening.

Shade is described as 5-foot-8 and 142 pounds, with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She has a tattoo on the back of her neck.

Anyone with information about her is asked to call 911 or Lansing police at 517-483-4600.

Contact Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.