Police investigate death of one-month-old infant

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 1-month-old in a Spokane Valley apartment complex.

According to a warrant, a neighbor told detectives that at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, he heard crying from the apartment where the infant lived. He had been with one of the apartment’s residents earlier, and went inside to find out what was wrong, according to court documents. When he entered the apartment, he saw the father holding the unresponsive baby. The neighbor ordered the child’s father to place his son on the ground so he could evaluate his condition and told another person in the apartment to call 911.

When he examined the baby, he found no pulse or breath and saw dried blood in the infant’s nostril, he told detectives. When firefighters responded to the scene, he directed them to the baby. Emergency responders attempted to his life, but the infant died at the scene, according to court documents.

The infant’s parents said in an interview that the medical examiner told them that their 1-month old died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The mother said they put the baby to bed and they couldn’t wake him up. The mother also said SIDS runs in her family and because of that, one of them was with the baby constantly. She said that Devin, not the family’s neighbor, attempted to save their son’s life.

A deputy who responded to the scene said he overheard the father say he left the baby propped up on the couch with pillows and when he came back, he found the child unresponsive.

Detectives applied for a warrant to search the apartment for DNA and trace evidence. They also asked for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of the infant’s death.

This story was changed on Aug. 6, 2018 to include comments from the infant’s parents and to note that the medical examiner’s report is pending.