FARMINGTON – A woman pleaded guilty March 24 in federal court to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of her young child.

Around June 26, 2019, Tonya Mae Dale, 28, a member of the Navajo Nation, was driving while intoxicated with her children in the car when her car became stuck on the side of the road. According to a news release sent by the U.S. Department of Justice, the next day, Dale left the vehicle with two children in the car.

“At some point, she decided to leave her children, a baby and a young child, and seek help on her own,” Howell said.

Dale returned to the location with assistance only to find the baby still there and the young child had wandered off. The child was found dead the next day. Dale faces up to eight years in federal prison.

mmitchell@durangoherald.com