A 2-month-old Oregon baby died with 18 rib fractures, methamphetamine in her system, pneumonia in her lungs, and bruises on her tiny body. Now, a Benton County jury has decided her mother failed to protect her when the warning signs were already too serious to ignore.
Deborah Albin was convicted on June 2, 2026, of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment in the death of her infant daughter, Opal Oaks. Prosecutors said Albin did not personally break the baby’s ribs, but they argued she knew enough, saw enough, and still did not act in time.
The baby’s father, Andrew Oaks, is separately accused of abusing Opal, including allegedly tossing her around “like a rag doll” and squeezing her. His case remains pending, and he has not been convicted of Opal’s death.
A Baby Who Lived Only Two Months
Opal Oaks was born on December 16, 2022. Her life ended on February 26, 2023, when emergency crews were called because the infant was not breathing. Responders tried to revive her, and hospital staff continued those efforts, but Opal was pronounced dead after just two months and ten days of life.
What investigators later found turned the emergency into a homicide case. The autopsy later revealed that Opal had 13 broken ribs with fractures in 18 places. Those fractures were in different stages of healing, which prosecutors said pointed to multiple injury events instead of one isolated accident.
The medical findings were devastating. Opal had chronic and acute pneumonia, along with a hole in the protective membrane of one lung that authorities linked to complications from the rib fractures. She also had methamphetamine in her system at a level prosecutors described as high even for an adult.
Diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl, was also found in her body. The autopsy concluded that Opal died from complications connected to the broken ribs, including pneumonia, with methamphetamine toxicity listed as another significant condition. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Andrew Oaks is the parent prosecutor linked to the alleged direct abuse. Evidence presented at trial showed that Albin saw Oaks toss or throw Opal around “like a rag doll,” according to prosecutors. The state also argued that the broken ribs were consistent with someone squeezing the baby.
That detail made the case even more disturbing because Opal was only weeks old. A baby that young cannot defend herself, brace her body, explain pain, or crawl away from danger. She was completely dependent on the adults around her, and prosecutors said those adults failed her in different ways.
Oaks faces his own charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and first-degree criminal mistreatment. His case is still pending, so the allegations against him remain allegations unless and until a court decides otherwise.
Albin’s case was different. Prosecutors did not have to prove she personally caused every injury with her own hands. They had to prove she failed in her legal duty to provide medical care and physical protection.
The jury convicted Albin of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment. The verdict means jurors believed her neglect or maltreatment contributed to Opal’s death.
The prosecution argued that Albin knew Opal was in danger. They said she knew Oaks used methamphetamine, worried that he was smoking it around the baby, saw him handle Opal dangerously, and still left the infant alone with him.
The state’s case focused heavily on what Albin allegedly knew before the final 911 call. Prosecutors said she knew Opal had trouble breathing and sleeping in the week before her death. They said she knew the baby had a fever.
Photos of Opal while she was alive showed bruising to her head and abrasions around her nose, according to the Benton County District Attorney’s Office. Autopsy photos later showed bruises on her back and head.
Medical experts testified that Albin should have told doctors about the baby’s meth exposure and Oaks’ alleged rough handling. Prosecutors said that information could have led to further exams that may have revealed the rib fractures, pneumonia, and drug toxicity before Opal stopped breathing.
Albin eventually called 911, but prosecutors said she waited until Opal had already stopped breathing. That delay became one of the most damaging parts of the case.
The state argued that a parent does not get to wait until a baby is in full crisis when signs of illness and danger have already appeared. Opal had breathing trouble, fever, visible marks, alleged drug exposure, and a father accused of dangerous handling.
By the time the emergency call was made, prosecutors said the window for lifesaving care had already closed.
Albin’s defense argued that the case was more complicated than prosecutors made it sound. Her attorneys said she was also in a volatile relationship with Oaks and had been abused by him.
That argument placed the case inside a larger debate about failure to protect prosecutions, especially when a parent accused of failing a child says they were also afraid of the person accused of direct violence.
But jurors did not accept that as enough to clear Albin. After about two hours of deliberation, they convicted her on all three counts.
On June 3, the jury returned to consider aggravating factors. Jurors found that all three charges involved a particularly vulnerable victim because Opal was an infant.
They also found that the criminal mistreatment charges involved harm far greater than typical because Opal died. That finding could matter when the court considers sentencing.
The latest available reports indicate that Albin has been convicted, that the aggravating factors have been found, and that sentencing has not yet been publicly scheduled. Oaks’ separate case also remains open, with no trial date reported in the latest coverage.
The home at the center of this case was described by prosecutors as chaotic, unstable, and dangerous for a baby. Oaks was frequently absent to find and use methamphetamine, according to the evidence presented at trial.
Albin and Oaks had a turbulent relationship. Prosecutors said Albin often threatened to leave him and told him she could not trust him. At times, Oaks was physically abusive toward Albin, according to the state’s own summary of the evidence.
But prosecutors also argued that Albin had support, the ability to come and go, and people willing to help her and Opal. That became key to their argument that she had options but did not take them quickly enough.
The most powerful evidence in the case came from Opal’s body. The fractures were not abstract. They were not paperwork. Injuries were found in a child who had barely begun life.
The ribs were broken in multiple places. The injuries were in different stages of healing. Her lungs were affected. Her body contained methamphetamine. Her death was ruled a homicide.
That is why the case landed so heavily in court. Prosecutors did not present Opal’s death as a sudden mystery. They presented it as the final result of warnings that were missed, ignored, or left unanswered.
Albin now awaits sentencing after her conviction. The aggravating factors found by the jury could increase the seriousness of what the judge considers at that stage.
Oaks still faces his own prosecution. Because he has not been convicted, the case against him must still move through the courts before any final judgment is made about the allegations that he directly abused Opal.
For now, the latest legal reality is clear. A jury has found that Deborah Albin failed to provide the medical care and physical protection her baby needed. Andrew Oaks remains accused of the violence prosecutors say helped destroy Opal’s short life.
