A Louisiana mother was arrested on June 30 in the death of her four-month-old daughter, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.
23-year-old Keanna Thomas is facing negligent homicide charges in connection with the infant’s death. Police said Thomas’ daughter was found dead on June 18 at a home on Alexander Avenue near Plank Road.
According to the arrest warrant, Thomas told investigators she dropped her child off at her sister’s house to go out for the night and added she had several drinks before returning later to pick up the baby and going home.
The warrant stated that she also told investigators she had put the baby in the middle of the bed before laying next to her and falling asleep. It added Thomas was later awakened by a family member and saw the baby was no longer in the bed with her.
The document stated Thomas told police she then found the baby on the floor and face down in some pillows and bedding. It added Thomas said she picked up the baby, realized the infant was unresponsive, and contacted EMS.
Authorities said it remains unknown how the baby ended up on the floor but that Thomas allegedly admitted to several people that she had gotten drunk that night.
The East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and ruled suffocation as the cause of death. The arrest warrant went into more detail and stated, “the cause of death was found to be positional asphyxiation due to unsafe sleeping, and suffocation due to being face down in pillows/bedding.”
The warrant added investigators found Thomas to be at fault by allegedly “admitting that she knew she was intoxicated, the suspect showed gross disregard to the victim by picking the victim up from her sister’s residence first, and later placing the victim in the bed with her which led to the victim suffocating and passing away.”
Thomas was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
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