Two-month-old Waylon Heyns died on Halloween night (October 31, 2022) in Rogers, Arkansas, after his parents, Vincent and Emily Heyns, fell asleep while co-sleeping with him. Earlier that evening, the family had gone trick-or-treating, after which the couple smoked marijuana and stayed up watching movies before falling asleep with the baby. The child was found unresponsive on November 1. Vincent Heyns was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter, while Emily Heyns received six years of supervised probation on a child endangerment charge. Notably, the couple had previously lost a 4-month-old son in 2021 under nearly identical co-sleeping circumstances.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
All three documents describe the child's death as resulting from co-sleeping. Document 2 (5newsonline.com) states: "Vincent and Emily Heyns fell asleep while cosleeping with the baby after allegedly smoking marijuana." Document 3 (nwaonline.com) states: "A Rogers man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to sleeping with his 2-month-old son and causing his death." Co-sleeping with an infant is an explicitly unsafe sleeping environment.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Document 2 (5newsonline.com) identifies Vincent Heyns as "the father charged in the death of his and his wife's two-month-old baby" and states he was co-sleeping with the baby. Document 3 (nwaonline.com) describes him as "sleeping with his 2-month-old son and causing his death." Vincent is the biological father who was directly involved in the child's death through co-sleeping.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Document 2 (5newsonline.com) states: "Vincent and Emily Heyns fell asleep while cosleeping with the baby after allegedly smoking marijuana." Emily Heyns is identified as the wife and mother of the child. She was also charged and pleaded guilty to child endangerment, confirming her involvement in the death.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Document 3 (nwaonline.com) states: "In 2021, Vincent Heyns and his wife, Emily, lost a 4-month-old son while sleeping with him." Document 1 (arkansasonline.com) corroborates: "A Rogers couple who had a child die when they co-slept with him in 2021 have been arrested in connection with a similar situation Tuesday." This establishes a prior sibling death in a separate incident from the current death under review.
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 2 (5newsonline.com) states: "Vincent Heyns has pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a minor." It also states Emily pleaded guilty to child endangerment. Document 1 (arkansasonline.com) states the couple was "arrested in connection with" the child's death. Both parents were arrested and charged.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 2 (5newsonline.com) explicitly states: "Vincent and Emily Heyns fell asleep while cosleeping with the baby after allegedly smoking marijuana" and further: "the couple smoked weed and stayed up all night watching movies." Emily was also ordered to undergo "drug and alcohol evaluation by Ozark Guidance."
Notable Details
Several notable details merit attention. First, this was the second child the couple lost to co-sleeping: Document 3 (nwaonline.com) states "In 2021, Vincent Heyns and his wife, Emily, lost a 4-month-old son while sleeping with him," yet the couple apparently retained custody and had another child who died the same way in 2022. Second, Judge Green initially denied the plea deal for the father, as Document 2 (5newsonline.com) reports: "Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green originally denied a plea agreement for Vincent Heyns." Third, there was a significant sentencing disparity between the parents: Vincent received 10 years in prison for manslaughter, while Emily received only six years of supervised probation with the manslaughter charge dropped entirely. These details raise questions about systemic child protection failures between the 2021 and 2022 incidents.
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