Baby Died After Mom Taped Pacifier in Infant's Mouth

[Bishop169]

Police Say Washington Baby Died After Mom Taped Pacifier in Infant's Mouth
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
LAKE STEVENS, Wash. —
A woman was charged with manslaughter in the death of her 4-month-old son after she told authorities she taped a pacifier to his mouth to keep it from falling out.
Bonnie M. Desmond, 19, was charged Tuesday in the death of Noah James Petersen. Bail was set at $500,000.
Desmond called 911 Monday and said her baby was unconscious, but paramedics found the boy had been dead for hours, Fire District 8 Deputy Chief David Lingenfelter said. Prosecutors wrote in reports that Desmond later indicated a pacifier had been taped to the child's mouth but she had removed it before calling authorities.
"The only thing I can think of is I taped the pacifier to keep it from falling out. I didn't know it would hurt him, or I wouldn't have done that," Desmond told police, according to the reports.
No other children live in the home, which she shares with her fiance, and the fiance was not under investigation, said police Cmdr. Dan Lorentzen. The autopsy results were not immediately released.
If convicted, Desmond faces 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 years in prison, Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor Mark Roe said.

[ThrowingTimber]

Fire up the chair for this one, she failed at life.

[Smokey14]

Kids shouldn't have kids

[spence]

How about the 7 kids that just died when their moms left them home alone and went to the bar?

Sad but true.

-spence

[BigFish]

We should have the death penalty for such acts of stupidity! Some people are too stupid to live!

[wheresmy50]

Sounds more like a horrible stupid mistake than murder, especially if she actually though it wasn't going to hurt the kid.

[BigFish]

Please Wheresmy50.......that is just sheer stupidity! No excuse for that even if she does only have a 1st grade education!

[wheresmy50]

That chick who shot her preacher husband dead with a shotgun and took off with the kids might get time served. That's all I'm saying.

She was negligent, but kids die from falling in the pool, getting burned, poisoned, etc. when their parents aren't paying attention all the time. Granted this woman actually did something to kill her kid, but is she more dangerous to society than someone who comitted a violent crime? There are a fixed number of cells - one in equals one out.

If a father shot his son hunting, would you give him 8 years or call it an accident and let the death be the punishment?

[BigFish]

I know where you are coming from but come on! That kind of stupidity warrants a little jail time at the very least! I can't believe someone could be so absolutely void of thought!!!

[bloocrab]

I would like to think that killing your own child or any child for that matter and living with the guilt is a enormous sentence in itself. I wouldn't Kill this mother, a little Tar and Feathers maybe, but not the death penalty. Maybe neutering?(sp)_


"KIDS HAVING KIDS"

[chris L]

looks like the government is going to have to step in and enact a test for licensing parents . NO ONE TO BE GRANDFATHERED .

[Fishpart]

Unfortuantely PARENTING is the most difficult job in the world and there is no training program beyond what you learned growing up.

That being said, taping a child's mouth shut isn't too smart,but do you incarcerate the mother for being stupid??? After what happened, she is proably more a danger to herself than to anyone else.

[thortum]

What scares me is that I'm sure there are more people out there like her. Makes me shiver!