On May 19, 2022, the 26-year-old father woke around 1:30 AM to feed his 1-month-old daughter a bottle. After feeding, he placed her in the king-size adult bed where the 23-year-old mother and 2-year-old sibling were already asleep, positioning the infant's head on a fuzzy pillow. A portable crib was available but not used. The father fell asleep and at approximately 4:11 AM, the mother awoke to find the father had rolled on top of the child with his shoulder covering her face. The child was unresponsive. The father called 911, and both parents performed CPR until first responders arrived, but the child was pronounced dead at 5:14 AM. The preliminary cause of death was positional asphyxiation. The home was found to be in deplorable condition with garbage throughout, and a training toilet in the kitchen filled with urine and feces. The DOA/Fatality allegation against the father was substantiated, as were allegations of Inadequate Guardianship and Inadequate Food/Clothing/Shelter against both parents.
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)?
The fatality report describes that the father fed the child, placed her on the adult bed rather than in the available portable crib, and then fell asleep. The report states "SCDSS found the SF's actions directly contributed to the death of the SC as confirmed by the preliminary autopsy results." Allegations of Inadequate Guardianship were substantiated against both the mother and father. The father fell asleep with the infant in an unsafe arrangement, constituting inappropriate supervision of the child.
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?
The fatality report describes multiple unsafe sleep factors. The father "placed the child on the adult bed where the mother and 2-year-old sibling were asleep, and he laid between the child and sibling." The SF confirmed he placed the child "in the king size adult bed with her head on a fuzzy pillow between he and the SM." A portable crib was observed next to the bed but "SCDSS believed it was not utilized for the SC to sleep in on a regular basis." Additionally, a portable crib shown in photos "was observed to be full of items and did not appear to be utilized for the SC to sleep in." The parents were counseled on safe sleep practices, and the cause of death was positional asphyxiation from the father rolling onto the child.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies the father (SF) as the person directly responsible. He is listed in the household composition as the child's "Father" and as an "Alleged Perpetrator." The report states "SCDSS found the SF's actions directly contributed to the death of the SC as confirmed by the preliminary autopsy results." The allegation of DOA/Fatality against the SF was substantiated. He fed the child, placed her in the adult bed, fell asleep, and rolled on top of her.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The mother (SM) is listed as an "Alleged Perpetrator" in the household composition. Allegations of Inadequate Guardianship and Inadequate Food/Clothing/Shelter against her were substantiated. While she did not directly cause the positional asphyxiation (she was asleep at the time), she shared responsibility for the deplorable home conditions and the routine practice of co-sleeping. The report notes "The SM and SF stated it was common for the SS to sleep with them" and the SM confirmed the SF usually wakes to feed the SC at night. Her involvement is indirect but officially recognized through the substantiated allegations.
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)?
The fatality report documents prior CPS history. An SCR report dated 05/19/2019 involved the father and a half-sibling alleging Inadequate Food/Clothing/Shelter and Inadequate Guardianship (all unsubstantiated). Additionally, "The SF had history as an alleged perpetrator dating back to 2013. The SF has had three biological children removed from his care." The report also notes "Were there any siblings ever placed outside of the home prior to this child's death? Yes."
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)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
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?
The fatality report states: "The SM was utilizing her own mental health counseling." This directly references the mother's mental health.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states regarding the father's prior history: "The SF had both substantiated and unsubstantiated history for substance misuse and unstable housing."
Notable Details
The fatality report reveals significant prior child welfare history for the father: "The SF had history as an alleged perpetrator dating back to 2013. The SF has had three biological children removed from his care, two of which are placed with their maternal grandmother, and the third placed with the paternal grandmother." Despite this extensive history of children being removed, the father was still caring for the deceased child and the surviving sibling. Additionally, the home conditions were described as deplorable with "garbage and clothing throughout the home on the floors, and a training toilet in the kitchen filled with urine and feces." The portable crib available for the child "was observed to be full of items and did not appear to be utilized." Also notable is that "Saratoga County does not have an OCFS approved Child Fatality Review Team," meaning the fatality was not referred for broader multidisciplinary review beyond the MDT investigation.
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