A Minnesota father is facing manslaughter charges after the death of his infant. Omni Maxx Morningstar allegedly placed his baby under a heavy weighted blanket for a nap. It was something he had done multiple times before, and every time, the baby ended up in distress. However, that didn’t seem to stop the father from doing it again. After placing the baby under the blanket, he went on about his day and began playing video games.
Apparently, he got too wrapped up in what he was doing and forgot about his child. Sadly, when he finally remembered, he was too late.
He has been apprehended by police.
The 26-year-old father was arrested on April 6, 2026, by officers with the Mankato Police Department, the City of Mankato shared in a news release. According to the release, Morningstar was taken by police at his home “without incident.”
He has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his 10-month-old son, Remington Tristan Morningstar, and is being held at Blue Earth County Jail.
On October 1, 2025, authorities were called to Morningstar’s home after receiving a report of an infant who wasn’t breathing. Despite life-saving efforts by first responders and staff at Mayo Clinic Health System, Remington was declared dead at the hospital.
Morningstar used an unconventional and dangerous method to calm the baby.
According to charging documents obtained by Fox 9, Morningstar laid the baby face-down on a blanket for a nap about 11 a.m. on October 1. He then covered the baby with a weighted blanket that was nearly 20 pounds.
About five hours later, just before 4 p.m., Morningstar went to check on the infant for the first time. The baby was “unresponsive and very warm” and had a temperature of 104.7 degrees.
Morningstar told police that the boy had a history of getting fevers and allegedly had a “difficult time maintaining his temperature,” per Fox 9. He also claimed the infant was colicky, which is why he used a weighted blanket to get him to sleep.
This wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing.
The charging documents stated that the baby had been hospitalized previously for a high fever because of the heavy blankets being placed on him. Morningstar had been warned by hospital staff about using the weighted blanket.
He told police that he used a 12-pound weighted blanket and folded it in different places to apply pressure to different parts of his body, KSTP reported. Morningstar also admitted to covering the baby’s head with blankets in the past to keep him from screaming.
He was allegedly playing video games instead of caring for his child.
According to the charges, after Morningstar put the baby down to sleep, he went into his room and shut the door, Fox 9 reported. He then put on headphones so he could talk to his friends on Discord, but he claimed he could still hear everything.
About a month before the baby’s death, the little one’s mother came home and found Morningstar playing video games. The baby was covered “head to toe” in a king-sized blanket, per Fox 9. He had a temperature of 104 to 105 degrees, so she called 911. The man claimed he had forgotten about the baby.
The baby’s cause of death was probable asphyxia due to compression by a weighted blanket, the medical examiner ruled, per KSTP. Morningstar will appear in court on April 16.
