Jury seated for Florida woman standing trial for infant granddaughter's 2022 hot car death

Tracey Nix on trial for death of grandchild

FOX 13's Kim Kuizon Kuizon reports on the trial of Tracey Nix proceeding Monday as the jury was seated ahead of the manslaughters expected beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

BARTOW, Fla. - A jury was seated Monday in the trial of a Hardee County woman charged in the death of her 7-month-old granddaughter who was left in a hot car more than two years ago.

Tracey Nix will stand trial on an aggravated manslaughter charge in Polk County after attorneys argued the case had too much publicity for a fair trial to be possible in Hardee County.

Death of baby Uriel

Backstory: On Nov. 1, 2022, Nix picked up Uriel Schock while the baby's mother, Kaila Schock-Nix, went to a hair appointment. Tracey Nix took Uriel out to lunch with friends and then took her back to her home, but left her in the car.

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According to an arrest affidavit, Nix went into her home, talked to her dog and practiced the piano before realizing Uriel was still in the vehicle.

Image courtesy of Kaila Nix.

Nix was arrested and later sent to an inpatient treatment facility in St. Cloud at the request of her husband, which a judge approved.

Previous death of another grandchild

Backstory: Uriel was the second grandchild to die in the care of Tracey Nix in the span of less than a year.

In December 2021, 16-month-old Ezra died after he opened doors, went under a fence and wandered into a pond outside Nix's Wauchula home, according to deputies.

Nix had fallen asleep while the child's grandfather had gone to Walmart, the sheriff's office said at the time.

Criminal charges were not filed in that case.

Tracey Nix's background

What we know: Nix was a principal and educator in Hardee County for 39 years, something her attorney highlighted in 2023 after her arrest.

"She was devastated by this. She loved her grandkids as well as her children very, very much. She was a good person," Tracey's attorney, William Fletcher, said at the time.

Pictured: Tracey Nix in court in 2023.

Kaila Schock-Nix and her husband, Drew Schock, also spoke in 2023 about their relationship with the grandmother of their children.

"I was believing that I was leaving my children at any point with a master’s degree holding, well educated, well respected, Sunday school teaching, choir singing social person," Kaila Schock-Nix said. "I believed that surely I must be making this other thing with Ezra too much."

Image courtesy of Kaila Nix.

"I can’t forgive it. Absolutely not. As a father I can’t. I don’t even think I can as a Christian," said Drew Schock. "I don’t know if I could do that, because it’s our children and our job as a parent is to protect our children. The guilt that we have as parents that we failed. Because that’s our only job."

Nix could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

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