Father faces consequences for allowing daughter to perish in asthma episode

Inset: Anthony Modrow (Hennepin County Jail). Background: Rachel Modrow’s daughter being worked on by EMS (WCCO/YouTube).

A man from Minnesota has been sentenced to four years in prison for the tragic death of his 9-year-old daughter. The father, Anthony Modrow, chose not to seek medical help for his daughter during a severe asthma attack. Instead, he tried to treat her using a steam bath and homemade remedies, ignoring the seriousness of her condition, as outlined by prosecutors.

In 2024, Modrow’s daughter passed away due to the father’s decision not to take her to the hospital. Modrow, who is 35 years old, entered a guilty plea in January for second-degree manslaughter. According to court documents from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, he was officially sentenced on Monday.

The sentencing order for Modrow states, “This sentence includes a minimum prison term that is two-thirds of the total sentence served, along with a supervised release period for the remaining one-third of the sentence.”

He and his wife, Rachel Modrow, 36, of Hopkins, didn’t care that their daughter “was blue,” wheezing heavily and unable to raise her arms while suffering from the asthma attack, which began at a sleepover with a friend, according to prosecutors. They told the friend’s mom to avoid going to the hospital and that they would treat the girl at home.

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“[The friend’s mom] drove victim home and told the defendants that she could take victim to a doctor, but the defendants refused the offer,” Modrow’s complaint said. “[The friend’s mom] reported that victim was wheezing, breathing heavily, and asked to be taken to a doctor,” it added.

Prosecutors described how a family friend went over to check on them after being called by the girl’s aunt. They later took the child to a local medical facility,

“He noticed victim’s skin was blue, she could not raise her arms, and she was crying,” it said. “[Anthony Modrow] ran victim a steam bath and eventually, according to [the friend], he insisted that victim needed to go to the hospital.”

Prosecutors noted that while at the friend’s house, Modrow’s daughter was using her grandmother’s inhaler on account of her parents not having one for her.

“Multiple doctors were consulted, including a Pediatric Critical Care doctor, who stated that victim would have had a much better chance to survive with earlier medical intervention and explained how important early medical intervention is for asthma,” the complaint said. “The doctor noted that a steam bath is not a recognized treatment for asthma. The doctor emphasized the importance of an asthma patient having a rescue inhaler and noted that using another person’s inhaler may not be effective because it may not contain the proper medication. Another medical professional, who treated victim in the hospital, stated the sooner the medical treatment, the better the outcome.”