Baby dies after pacifier taped to face, police say

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. – A woman has been arrested in the death of her 4-month-old son after telling authorities she had taped a pacifier to his face to keep the device in his mouth.

Bonnie M. Desmond, 20, of Lake Stevens, was arrested by police in this town east of Everett and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Monday night on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter, with bail set at $500,000, according to the jail Web site.

An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death.

The woman called 911 about 11:30 a.m. Monday and said her baby was unconscious, but paramedics who rushed to the home she shares with her fiancé found the little boy had been dead for hours, Fire District 8 Deputy Chief David Lingenfelter said.

The woman told police and medics that a half-hour earlier she found the infant dead and ripped the pacifier from his face, then called her fiancé before notifying authorities, according to documents filed by prosecutors.

Prosecutors wrote that after the mother overheard detectives talking about sudden infant death syndrome, she indicated the pacifier had been taped to the child’s mouth to keep it from falling out.

She was arrested following an interview with detectives, police Cmdr. Dan Lorentzen said.