UNNAMED INFANT - age unknown - Indianapolis IN

by mom_in_il Wed May 28, 2014 3:30 pm

IMPD detectives investigating infant’s death

By Staff Reports
Updated: Tuesday, May 27, 2014, 6:12 pm
Published: Tuesday, May 27, 2014, 1:36 pm

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Detectives are investigating after an infant was found unresponsive in a home Tuesday morning and later pronounced dead.

According to a police report, emergency personnel were called to a home in the 4200 block of Norrose Drive around 8:45 a.m. Medics transported the infant to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health where she was later pronounced dead.

“Your heart kind of breaks at that point, but a series of things happened obviously. At that point, we labeled it a death investigation, IMPD Officer Chris Wilburn said.

Police are questioning witnesses and waiting for autopsy results, but the baby’s grandfather says it’s a case of co-sleeping.

“Co-sleeping means sleeping in the bed with the child, but to be actually very precise it’s called bed-sharing,” Dr. Deborah Givan said.

She is a pediatric pulmonologist and the medical director for Sleep Disorders Center at Riley Hospital for Children. She says sleeping with an infant is never a safe situation.

“Adult beds are not made for children, they’re comfy, they’re soft, they have bedding and all of those things could result in the baby having asphyxiation or suffocation. They could roll against a parent or even more likely the parent could roll against them,” Dr. Deborah Givan said.

Dr. Givan only suggests babies sleep in their cribs, without any bumpers, pillows, or stuffed animals. She says even blankets can pose a problem. And while many parents, swear by stomach sleeping, Dr. Givan says a baby on it’s back is the best bet.

“One night of bad sleep is never going to make up for something happening,” Dr. Deborah Givan said.

It’s advice Dr. Givan says she provides often, still deaths occur every year. Police are not saying bed-sharing is responsible just yet, as their investigation continues.

“The police department feels their pain, but at the same token we need to speak for this infant and come to some sort of resolute conclusion,” Officer Wilburn said.

Child Protective Services is also investigating this death along with IMPD, a typical step according to police.

http://wishtv.com/2014/05/27/impd-detectives-investigating-infants-death/