Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Michaela Nirae Cruz

It's happened again in Milwaukee County.

Another baby has died while co-sleeping.

Michaela Nirae Cruz is the 12th little one to die under those circumstances this year.

What a horrible death toll!

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Prosecutors are reviewing the death of a 4-week-old girl who died Sunday while sharing a bed with her parents at their home in West Allis, Milwaukee County officials said Monday.

Michaela Nirae Cruz is at least the 12th child under the age of 2 to die in an unsafe sleep environment in Milwaukee County this year, according to a Journal Sentinel count based on information from law enforcement and the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office.

According to a medical examiner's report released Monday:

Michaela's parents spent much of early Sunday morning drinking beer at a friend's house while Michaela and her twin brother slept upstairs.

Michaela, her brother and their parents returned to their home in the 1600 block of S. 57th St. shortly after 6 a.m.

Michaela and her brother slept in their car seats inside their house until about noon, when Michaela began crying and her father placed her between himself and Michaela's mother on their queen-size bed.

Michaela's mother awoke about 3:20 p.m. and found the girl unresponsive on the bed. Michaela was pronounced dead inside the house.

An autopsy found no signs of trauma, according to a statement from the medical examiner's office. Investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology tests before determining a cause of death, the statement says.

Who has 4-week-old twins, takes them to a friend's house, and then spends the early morning hours drinking beer there while the infants sleep in a room upstairs?

Not good parents.

The cause of Baby Michaela's death needs to be determined. It's premature to make any suggestions about removing her twin brother from the home.

But whatever the cause of Michaela's death, I worry about her brother's safety.

I strongly believe that adults need to be held accountable for failing to provide a safe sleeping environment for infants in their care.

When such negligence is involved, it's not an accident.

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