Seven-month-old Natalie Beard, in a photo taken shortly before her death in October 1995.

What Really Happened to Natalie Beard

Projected Release: 2026 

On October 16, 1995, the mother of seven-month-old Natalie Beard dropped her off with her Waunakee, Wisconsin babysitter, Audrey Edmunds, and headed to work. Natalie had been fussy that morning and had taken only half of her bottle, but she otherwise seemed fine.

Edmunds was pregnant with her third child at the time of Natalie Beard’s death. 

An hour later, a panicked Edmunds called 911, saying Natalie was unresponsive. The baby was rushed to a hospital in nearby Madison, where she died that evening. An autopsy revealed that Natalie had suffered extensive brain damage, and a forensic pathologist attributed the death to Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS).

In March 1996, Edmunds, a married mother of three with no prior criminal record, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide.

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At her trial that fall, the prosecution presented several expert witnesses who testified to “a reasonable degree of medical certainty” that Natalie had been a victim of SBS. The experts all said that given Natalie’s injuries she would have had “an immediate and obvious response” afterwards and, therefore, the injuries could only have occurred during the time Natalie was in Audrey’s care.

Former Dane County, Wisconsin Sheriff Shawn Haney was one of the first officers to investigate the death of Natalie Beard. He has always maintained that Audrey Edmunds was responsible.

Audrey took the stand and testified she had never shaken or abused Natalie in any way, and her defense argued that, based on Natalie’s medical records, her injuries could have been inflicted or occurred prior to Natalie’s arrival at Audrey’s home.

After just eight hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Audrey on November 26, 1996 and a judge sentenced her to 18 years in prison.

The conviction stunned Audrey’s family, friends and neighbors, who simply couldn’t believe she was guilty; they said Audrey had cared for dozens of children for decades without any prior incidents or parental concerns. The prosecution said Audrey’s supporters simply “didn’t know the real her” and that the stress of being pregnant with her third child, and an upcoming move to a new state, led a stressed-out Audrey to simply snap.

Edmunds took the stand in her own defense during her October 1996 trial. She testified that on the day Natalie died, she left the baby alone in her bedroom for a short period of time, only to later discover formula coming out of her nose and mouth. Edmunds said she thought Natalie had choked.

At the time of Audrey’s trial, and for years to come, very few doctors questioned that Natalie had been a victim of SBS and Audrey lost all of her post-conviction appeals.

But over the course of the next decade, some medical experts began to change their opinions about SBS–including the medical examiner who performed Natalie’s autopsy. As a result, in 2006 the Wisconsin Innocence Project (WIP) came to Audrey’s defense. The group claimed that “a large body of new scientific evidence has emerged that supports her claim of innocence.”

WIP presented experts who testified that symptoms they once thought were proof of SBS had been linked to dozens of other causes, including accidents, illness, infection, old injuries, and congenital defects. In January 2008, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled that “a shift in mainstream medical opinion” had cast doubt on whether shaking caused the brain injury that led to Natalie’s death and threw out Audrey’s conviction.

After serving 11 years in prison, Audrey was released and the state declined to re-try her, claiming it did not wish to re-traumatize Natalie’s family.

Natalie Beard, age seven months.

Today, more than 16 years later, police and prosecutors who investigated Natalie’s death still insist she’s guilty. Audrey and her supporters maintain that she was wrongfully convicted, deserves a full pardon, and is entitled to all the benefits that other exonerees in Wisconsin have received.

In this documentary, currently in production, The Reporters Inc. investigates all angles of Natalie’s tragic death, uncovers previously unknown information, and interviews dozens of people connected with the case (including Audrey), as well as child abuse and medical experts who explain the conflicting scientific evidence surrounding SBS.

The goal is to tell the whole story, to hear from the people who have never spoken publicly before, to present the evidence that jurors and judges weren’t shown, and to finally reveal What Really Happened to Natalie Beard.

Natalie Beard’s mother, Cindy, testified that she and her husband Tom had grown concerned about the care Natalie received while under Edmunds’ supervision. She said they noticed small bruises and rashes on the child during the month-and-a-half Edmunds babysat Natalie.

One of the jurors in Edmunds’ trial, Dan Burkeland, told The Reporters Inc. that eight of the 12 jury members declared Edmunds guilty within one hour of deliberations.

Edmunds’ daughters would try to visit her in prison at least once a month.

Edmunds, being led away to prison after her conviction in 1997.

The Reporters Inc. interviewed Tina Zavoral in 2024. She told police in early 1996 that friends of Tom Beard, Natalie’s father, had suspicions about his role in the little girl’s death. She claims police failed to follow-up on any lead that did not point to Audrey Edmunds.

Tom Beard, Natalie’s father, in the courtroom during Edmunds’ trial.

Keith Findley, of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, and Steve Hurley, Edmunds’ original trial attorney, speak with The Reporters Inc. Both men spent years trying to prove Edmunds’ innocence.

After years of silence, Edmunds began speaking out about her claims of innocence in the late 2000s after the Wisconsin Innocence Project took her case.

Edmunds celebrates her release from a Waupun, Wisconsin prison on Feb. 6, 2008.

Edmunds in court in 2007, when the Wisconsin Innocence Project began presenting new evidence in an attempt to clear her name.

After Edmunds’ release, she spent years working low-paying jobs to support herself in a small Wisconsin town. Although her conviction was thrown out, when the state chose not to retry her she was deprived of the ability to prove her innocence in court. As a result, she doesn’t qualify for monetary reparations that official exonerees receive in the state of Wisconsin.

Edmunds, during her first interview with The Reporters Inc.

Natalie Beard was laid to rest in a Madison, Wisconsin cemetery.

To provide information, or learn more about this project, email The Reporters Inc. at info@thereporters.org or call us at 612-333-3180.