A Ferndale mother has been sentenced to four years in prison after she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter death of her 5-year-old daughter.
Melissa Welch was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 22 by Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Evan Jones in an emotional hearing, where Welch could be heard sobbing through a door before she entered the courtroom.
She’s the third and final person to be sentenced to prison in connection to the 2023 death of Olivia Doane. Olivia’s father, Michael Doane, was sentenced to four years in prison on July 29 after he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.
At times during the 20-minute hearing, Welch could be heard saying “my God” and “my baby,” as the state prosecutor and her defense attorney explained to Jones why Welch should be sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.
Doane was found dead at her mother’s Ferndale home on March 8, 2023 after her mother called 911, according to court documents. The girl was found with enough fentanyl in her system to kill an adult man.
During a search of the home, law enforcement found fentanyl on the floor of the garage near toys and candy, indicating the girl and her older sister had access to the area, according to court documents. Methamphetamine and methadone were also found inside the residence.
Welch, Doane and another man, Cody Craig, were originally charged with murder, according to court documents. Those charges were dropped for Welch and Doane, and exchanged for second-degree manslaughter.
Craig’s murder charge was dismissed because the defense had found witnesses ahead of trial who said Craig wasn’t at the residence as much as originally thought, according to Andrew Bogel, a prosecutor for Whatcom County.
Instead Craig pleaded guilty to two counts of delivery of a controlled substance in connection to another case on Aug. 1. He was sentenced to two and half years in prison.
“The alarming thing was that Mr. Craig continued to sell fentanyl after Olivia’s demise,” Bogel said during the Aug. 1 hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Welch said she had failed to protect her daughter.
“My child, she didn’t deserve this,” she said. “Olivia, I’m so sorry Mommy didn’t keep you safe. My heart breaks because you’ll never do the things you were destined to do.”
Jones explained his decision to give Welch a four-year sentence, eight more months than what was recommended by the state, as accountability.
“That’s the time to commiserate with the accountability that you deserve for your failure,” he said.
Before Welch left the courtroom, she was allowed to be given a photo of her daughter that Olivia’s kindergarten teacher had brought to the hearing.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
