Warrants sought for parents of smothered baby

June 09--Although the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined a 3-month-old infant's death was accidental, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office has requested arrest warrants for the two teenage parents on second-degree manslaughter charges.

Deputies were notified by dispatch on the night of March 4 that an unresponsive infant was being transported by Cherokee Nation Emergency Management Services from his Park Hill home to Northeastern Heath System. Authorities were informed EMS had concerns about the situation.

The 3-month-old was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the emergency room.

After learning the parents had conflicting stories, deputies reportedly noticed that neither one showed emotion. They contacted Undersheriff Jason Chennault, who instructed them to contact the Oklahoma Department of Human Service's Child Welfare Division.

Sgt. Derrick Grant, who first interviewed the mother, reported that just after midnight on March 5, the 15-year-old said she was holding the baby when she fell asleep.

Deputy Bruce Lair, who interviewed the father first, said the 17-year-old told him they went to bed around 9:30 p.m., and he was holding the infant in his arm beside him when he fell asleep. He claimed the mother awoke him and said the baby wasn't breathing.

According to reports, DHS and investigators interviewed the mother, who was visibly upset and crying.

The girl said the baby usually slept between her and the wall on their bed, with the father sleeping on the other side of her. She said she awoke around 11:30 p.m. and noticed the baby's eyes were rolled back, he wasn't breathing, and he had blood under his nose. She roused the father, who turned the baby over and began to pat his back.

During the interview with the father, investigators said the boy showed no emotion. He told authorities the baby fell asleep on his arm with a pacifier in his mouth. The father was then awakened by the mother. Noting that the baby's lips were purple, the teen said he believed the baby had choked on vomit, so he turned the baby over and slapped his back.

Both parents reported the maternal grandfather's girlfriend entered their room and instructed them to perform CPR.

According to reports, the girlfriend said she heard the teen parents yelling, so she entered their room and saw that the infant was not breathing. She notified the neighbor, a member of the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office Drug Task Force, and called 911. When medical personnel arrived, the neighbor was reportedly performing CPR.

The girlfriend added in her report that the night before the baby's death, she heard him crying for a long period of time. She went into the parent's bedroom and found them both asleep. She awoke the mother who had to push the father off of the baby.

The girl's father told authorities the baby has a crib, but the teen father never assembled it.

Both parents reportedly told authorities they knew co-sleeping with an infant was discouraged.

Second-degree manslaughter is defined as an intentional killing that is not premeditated, planned or committed in a reasonable heat of passion; or a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life.

If found guilty, the juveniles could face two to four years imprisonment, be fined $1,000 or both.

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