1. Mum charged with the smothering death of her two-month-old baby while ‘high and drunk’.
Mom accused of smothering baby while high, drunk https://t.co/9vE0DAa7Km pic.twitter.com/JjZxl2zHoY
— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) May 26, 2017
A 23-year-old mother-of-two has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after she fell asleep with her two-month-old son on the couch and accidentally smothered him.
Arissa Ward, from Pennsylvania, called police on December 30, 2016 after she woke to find her son unresponsive.
According to Penn Live, she allegedly told police she had been drinking alcohol and smoking pot before she lay down to sleep with the baby.
An autopsy conducted on January 3 showed the little boy’s death was caused by “traumatic asphyxia combined with smothering”.
The two-month-old baby also had a small amount of marijuana in his system, believed to have been transferred via Arissa’s breast milk.
Dauphin County district attorney Ed Marsico said Arissa had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, as the death was “caused by a reckless act” but “not an intentional one”.
The 23-year-old’s attorney, Casey Shore, described the baby boy’s death as a “horrible tragedy” for the young mum.
Arissa has been released on bail, and her other child remains in her care after an investigation by Children and Youth Services.
Ed Marsico offered a warning to all parents about the dangers of sleeping with an infant.
“Our message today is don’t sleep with your kid, especially if you’re smoking dope or drinking all night, because you don’t know what you’re doing,” he said.
2. Eight people, including a sheriff’s deputy, have died in a Mississippi shooting.
Sheriff’s deputy and 7 other people were shot dead overnight in southern Mississippi, authorities say. https://t.co/TB4qbrgZKB pic.twitter.com/4miiyGcjpL
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) May 28, 2017