(USNewsBreak.com) – While many parents may find it easier to co-sleep with their babies, pediatricians and medical experts strongly discourage the practice. Medical experts advise parents to have infants sleep on their backs with no soft bedding because it can pose a health hazard. Sleeping with someone also increases the risk of death exponentially, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. One mother learned this lesson the hard way, not once, but twice.
On Wednesday, March 6, the Wilmington Police Department in North Carolina arrested 24-year-old Mackenzie Reed in connection with the death of her second baby in two years. The first incident occurred in 2022, but the second occurrence, in October 2023, drew concern and rose “to the level of any sort of crime,” per Law & Crime.
On October 3, police responded to a call at a residence for an unresponsive infant just after 2:30 a.m. When first responders arrived, they were unable to revive the baby, a 7-week-old boy, who passed away. A subsequent investigation revealed that Reed was co-sleeping with the infant at the time of his death. The Special Victims Unit and the New Hanover District Attorney’s Office took into consideration that Reed had co-slept with the baby in the 2022 incident and decided to press charges.
In back to back years, woman’s babies died while co-sleeping with her: Police
Full story here: https://t.co/CruNvdS7Xj pic.twitter.com/IIqPCpxl1t
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 14, 2024
The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the infant and determined his cause of death stemmed from “asphyxia due to unsafe sleep environment.” Reed reportedly told the officers she couldn’t believe she “had done this a second time.”
The suspect is facing three charges: involuntary manslaughter, child abuse/neglect resulting in serious physical injury, and felony child abuse resulting in serious injury. Police Lieutenant Greg Willett spoke with Law & Crime and noted that authorities “found evidence of marijuana use, edible and smoking” and that a “similar thing happened with a previous infant.”
The New Hanover County Detention Facility is holding Reed on a $500,000 bond.
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