A jury found Carrie Heller not guilty Friday for the death of a 6-month-old child in January of 2016
Hellerwas reportedly running an illegal day care when 6-month-old Finley Olsen died in her care.
She was found not guilty of reckless homicide Friday, and not guilty of operating an unlicensed day care. However, Heller was found guilty of obstructing an officer.
Trisha Heller, Carrie's sister, was relieved with the jury's decision.
"Outside of when my children were born premature and we didn't know if they were going to make it, [this is] the hardest thing I've ever gone through," she said. "To watch my baby sister being accused of something that I knew in my heart with 100 percent certainty she could never do."
She said the trial has had a ripple effect on the extended family.
"It's been terrible, my children, I have six children of my own, [they] have been traumatized by this," Trisha said. "We're very lucky enough to have a very strong community that knows and believes in her and stood by her during this time."
"And it was also terrible because we had to grieve for a baby we didn't know, we'll never know what happened to that poor child. I just want them to know that we have grieved every day for Finley just as they have," Trisha also said. "We have grieved for them, we hurt for them, and we're sorry that they lost their child. But that we know in our hearts that my sister never did anything to hurt that child. She loved that baby. She loved all of her daycare children."
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