Rotterdam mom, boyfriend, charged in death of disabled daughter

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — A Schenectady County grand jury has indicted Skylar Pettit’s mother, Amber Geier, 54, on nine charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and concealment of a human corpse. Geier’s boyfriend, Ricky Loika, 52, was also indicted on six related charges including animal cruelty for the mistreatment of four mastiff dogs.

The story begins last July 21st. Mohanasen School District requested a wellness check on Pettit, 24, who was an insulin-dependent diabetic with Down Syndrome. Pettit, totally dependent on Geier for care, hadn’t been seen for a while. When police checked on Pettit’s home:

“At first, both of these people assured police that Skylar was fine. When the police asked to see her in person, they admitted that she was deceased for some time and that her body was upstairs, wrapped in plastic and blankets in her bed” District Attorney Robert Carney revealed at a press conference.

The pair’s defense? “Amber Geier told police that one morning in April, she went into Skylar’s room, and found that she had died. She claimed that she couldn’t bear to leave her side during the night. So she kept her corpse in her bedroom rather than call authorities” DA Carney continued.

The details are chilling. Prosecutors allege that Geier ceased giving Pettit insulin, rendering Pettit bedridden and susceptible to infection, eventually leading to Pettit’s death. The allegations don’t stop there. Geier is also charged with third-degree grand larceny for stealing $3,000 dollars of her daughter’s disability benefits from the time of Pettit’s February 2023 death, up until her body was discovered last July.

Carney added that the investigation took as long as it did due to the decomposed state of Pettit’s body at the time of her discovery, as well as the animal cruelty and grand larceny investigations.

It’s been a rough few months for the Schenectady County District Attorney’s office with the deaths of baby Halo Branton and a five-year-old girl allegedly starved by her father . The office also prosecuted a Duanesburg father who claimed COVID made him kill his wife and child . Carney says if you can’t care for your kids: “Get help”. “Don’t let them die” the DA added.

Both suspects have been arraigned. Loika is out on bail while Geier remains in jail.

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