Safe sleep is of utmost importance when it comes to babies. Not following the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics can have dire consequences. Tragically, a North Carolina mom was recently charged following her baby’s death due to unsafe sleeping conditions.
In recent decades, doctors and parenting experts have stressed the importance of ensuring babies have a safe sleeping environment. This includes lying infants on their backs on a firm, flat surface with no other people, pillows, bedding, or anything else that could potentially endanger their breathing. Additionally, babies should not be left sleeping in a swing, car seat, couch, or armchair.
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In late November 2024, Katherine Grace Purdom was charged in her baby's unsafe sleeping death.
Katherine Grace Purdom, 23, of Marion, North Carolina, was charged November 22 in connection to her daughter’s death. Lt. Jesse Hicks with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged her with felony involuntary manslaughter, according to a news release. A secured bond for $50,000 was also issued.
The infant died at the beginning of the year.
On January 13, 2024, deputies responded to an incident involving a pediatric cardiac arrest, per the news release. McDowell County EMS personnel determined the victim, Purdom’s child, was “already deceased” upon arrival. They had already pronounced the infant dead when sheriff’s deputies arrived.
An autopsy revealed the child's cause of death.
The results of the autopsy showed the child died of asphyxiation, according to the news release. Additionally, Hicks determined that “gross negligence, due to unsafe sleeping arrangements, contributed to the circumstances resulting in death.”
More from CafeMom: Police Share Heartbreaking Co-Sleeping Warning After 3 Infants Die
In 2020, a different North Carolina woman was charged in the co-sleeping death of her baby.
Police responded to a call on April 4, 2020, about an unresponsive newborn in Concord, North Carolina, WJZY reported. The 3-month-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Concord Police Department, the child’s mother, Kayla Joy Mitchell, was previously investigated by the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services regarding co-sleeping incidents with her other children.
Mitchell was also charged with manslaughter.
Although Mitchell received multiple warnings about co-sleeping, she ignored them. Investigators found that her baby girl died of asphyxiation as a result of co-sleeping with her mother. Mitchell was similarly charged with involuntary manslaughter.
