WEST TERRE HAUTE —
Asphyxiation secondary to co-sleeping has been listed as the cause of death for a 6-week-old baby who died July 15 in West Terre Haute.
The asphyxiation occurred because the infant, Landon Maesch, was co-sleeping with his mother, Detective Ted York of the West Terre Haute Police told the Tribune-Star.
Vigo County Coroner Dr. Roland Kohr confirmed that the infant was likely smothered by his mother as the two were sleeping together.
No evidence of drugs were found in the infant’s system, York said, though results of toxicology screens are still pending on the child’s mother and her boyfriend.
However, Kohr noted that the tox screens on Maesch and her boyfriend were not conducted at the time of the infant’s death, so the test results might not reveal whether the adults were impaired at the time the infant died.
Police were called to the mother’s home in West Terre Haute on July 15 after a 911 call reported that the child had stopped breathing.
York said the infant’s autopsy information and the case investigation will be turned over to the Vigo County prosecutor to determine if criminal charges will be filed in the child’s death.
Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said Tuesday that information on the case is still being received, and no comment on the case was being made.
The infant’s mother, Jessie Maesch, 27, was arrested late last week after she allegedly attempted to purchase a controlled substance at a local pharmacy using false identification. It was her seventh drug-related case now pending in Vigo Superior Court 3. Her bail is now set at $150,000 and she remains in the Vigo County jail.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com
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