Police in Concord, North Carolina, say they now know what happened to a 3-month-old infant who passed away last month under mysterious circumstances. According to investigators, the baby girl was found to have died of asphyxiation, which allegedly happened as a result of co-sleeping with her mother, Kayla Joy Mitchell. Now, the mother is behind bars.
The incident reportedly happened April 4, shortly after 9 a.m.
Concord Police responded to a home on Harold Goodman Circle after a 911 call came in about an unresponsive newborn, according to WJZY. Cabarrus County EMS and Concord Fire & Life Safety also arrived, but the infant ultimately could not be saved and was pronounced dead.
What makes this story especially troubling is that Mitchell had reportedly been warned before about the dangers of co-sleeping.
According to the Concord Police Department, Mitchell had been the focus of prior investigations by the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services, or DSS, which involved co-sleeping incidents with her other children. When exactly those occurred and what those cases entailed remains unclear. But what does seem clear is that Mitchell received repeated warnings against co-sleeping from the DSS, and she appears to have ignored them.
The 23-year-old mother continued to engage in co-sleeping practices, not only with her other children but also with her new infant, WJZY reported. In the end, that decision proved tragic.
Mitchell turned herself in to police, where she was promptly arrested and charged.
She is being held at Cabarrus County Jail, a media release by the Concord Police Department announced Thursday. Her bond was set at $150,000.
The release, which was shared on the department's Twitter and Facebook pages, elicited an outpouring of comments from social media users who were stunned by the story.
"My heart is so sad for this," one person wrote.
Many others defended the mother's actions and asked that she not be villainized for a practice that -- although controversial -- is not illegal.
"She will forever be in my prayers," one woman wrote. "She doesn't deserve jail time … She needs a hug and therapy."
"I wish more information about this was revealed," another person commented. "It isn’t uncommon for children to co-sleep."
That said, there's a reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly advises parents against co-sleeping.
According to the academy's website, HealthyChildren.org, "More than 3,500 babies in the U.S. die suddenly and unexpectedly every year while sleeping, often due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or accidental deaths from suffocation or strangulation."
Some of this has been attributed to improper crib safety, but a considerable number of deaths have also been linked to co-sleeping in the same bed with one or more family members.
As a result, the pediatric's academy's "Safe Sleep" guidelines include a warning against bed-sharing, particularly with babies younger than 4 months.
Instead, doctors suggest that parents room share with their baby for the first year, by setting up a safe sleep space for them nearby that can be easily accessed. This way, babies are only brought into a parent's bed for feeding or comforting before being returned to a sleep space that has a firm, flat surface and no loose bedding or toys. They should also be placed to sleep on their backs to promote optimal breathing while they sleep, experts advise.
The heartbreaking death lands Mitchell in an tragic club of other mothers who have been charged with manslaughter after co-sleeping.
Last year, Genna Aaronson pleaded guilty to culpable negligence for the 2018 co-sleeping death of her 5-week-old son. The Florida mother had reportedly been warned by a doctor not to co-sleep just weeks prior but continued to do so anyway. She was ultimately ordered to take several parenting classes, complete 300 hours of community service, and follow a mental health treatment plan in exchange for jail time, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
In November 2019, a family in Brisbane, Australia, made headlines after their 6-week-old twins both perished in a co-sleeping accident. According to a Queensland Police statement at the time, the preliminary findings of the investigation "suggest the babies were sleeping together throughout the night and were discovered unresponsive this morning."
