Mother Held on Manslaughter as Baby Dies from Pacifier
King 5 News reported that Noah Petersen was found dead on Monday, after Desmond called 911 at 11:30 am upon finding Noah unconcious and not breathing. It was then that the 19 year old mother had confessed that she had taped the infant's pacifier to his mouth to "prevent it from falling out" befor laying him down to sleep. Police were said to have found various other pacifiers in Desmond's home that looked as though they had once been taped to the infant as well. Such an act could have caused the infant to suffocate though the medical examiner that had examined the infant's body has yet to say how exactly 4 month old Noah died.
In addition to having taped a pacifier to her infant's face, Desmond is suspected to have endangered the child in other ways. These include Desmond supposedly binding the infant the night prior to his untimely death, and giving him peanut butter. ( peanut butter can pose choking hazards as well as potential allergy issues)
The father of 19 year old Desmond stated in his daughter's defense, had " little experience in parenting skills, and as a teenager she never even baby-sat."
Desmond if convicted of first-degree manslaughter, faces up to 8.5 years in prison. She is currently being held on $500,000 bail and has not ( as of yet) ben allowed to grieve Noah's death with her family due to her risk of flight.
The child's father, 20 year old Justin Petersen is considered a witness to the alleged crime and is barred from contacting Desmond on such grounds.
-Jackson Holtz and Scott North "Young Mother Was Lost, Father Says"
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/06/21/100loc_a1baby001.cfm
Rob Piercy "Police:Baby Dies After Pacifier Taped To Face"
http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_061907WABlakestevensbabydeathTP.1b744353.html
Published by Veronika Fevers
Veronika Fevers began writing for Jam Rag Press in 1992. Jam Rag Press was a Detroit based independent music magazine. In addition to writing album and concert reviews, Veronika also interviewed many musical... View profile
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39 Comments
Post a Commentwow, I just saw the dates on the other comments. Isn't the internet a strange place. Everything looks like its happening right now.
Why is the father only a witness? Even if he didn't put the tape in place with his own hands, a parent has a legal duty to protect his child from criminal acts. Also, sad as this case is, it does not raise to the level of manslaughter. Though this woman and man (both are in fact adults) clearly should have know that this could kill a child, appaerently, they didn't know what they should have known. That is gross negligence rather than recklessness. If you ask me, both are guilty of negligent homocide.
Yes I have seen a swaddled baby. I happen to have a 2 month old. I agree that it does tend to look like a baby straight jacket. However, reports stated that the mother BOUND the infant. There is a quite destinct difference between swaddling and BINDING. As far as judging, I feel that I reported the story as OBJECTIONALLY as humanly and MOTHERLY as possible. I never judged the young mother. If I had, it would not have been positively, but as a journalist I respect my place- I am here to report. My opinion was left off the piece for said reasons.
Too many people playing God out there. Who died and made you judge? Yes, an innocent child died. But his parents loved him. We all give our babies little tastes of things here and there (mostly lemon). Most people are unaware of some of the dangers that certain foods pose to young children i.e., peanut butter, honey, etc. It's not like she gave him a peanut to chew on. Nor did she give him a tablespoon of peanut butter. Just a small taste. Onto the swaddling. Most infants need to be swaddled for many months after birth. It provides a similar feeling to being in the womb (arms snug to baby's side, etc.) To not swaddle a small infant can leave them feeling vulnerable and insecure. She swaddled him for comfort. What's the difference in what type of cloth she used?? It's not like she tied it around his neck. And as far as the father referring to it as a "baby straight jacket", those who know him understand his sense of humor. If you have ever seen a swaddled infant, the blanket closely
I have TWO children...and I am not married. However, I know better than to do something as stupid as tape a pacifier to a baby's mouth. Being born out of wedlock doesn't have a damn thing to do with lack of common sense. Apparently this young woman was not equipped with that.
WoW. While This story is indeed a tragidy, It doesn't come close the Horror that washes over me while i read your comments.It appears to me that every one of you CONDONE the behavior of this child, having another, child out of Wedlock.The father made no excuses. The whole world wants to know what would make a person do such a thing.If you want to blame someone, what about the FIRST Innept parent that insisted that the 10 commandments NOT be in "THIER" childs' school.I'm no Bible thumper, but that's just 1 very good example of the corrosion of Moral Values in this country. Especialy as it relates to the Sanctity of Marriage.What happened to this poor girl and her infant child is kinda why the Good Lord made FORNICATION a SIN in the first place,don't ya think ? PEACE...
I never want to read stories like this, yet I cannot stop myself from clicking on them, even though they make me both nauseas and depressed. It is heartbreaking how many parents, young and old, don't have a clue about parenting. Their child is nothing more than a nuisance to them.
This is horribly sad and sickening all at once. This young mother was willfully ignorant in how to care for an infant and it cost a baby his life. When I was a pregnant teen I made sure I read A LOT about how to care for a baby and I asked tons of questions. Why didn't her parents guide her in the right direction? Her father making excuses for her makes him an enabler...makes someone wonder what other things she's done wrong in the past and he was there to bail her out. What a way to teach responsibility.
This girl was clearly lacking effective parenting skills. Peanut butter should not be given until age 2 if no family history of allergies, and not until age 3 if a family history of allergies or eczema. But again I just don't see this as an age-related issue. I saw a late 30-something mom of triplets give her (not even) 2-year-olds hot dogs and letting them play while eating. Obviously, a child should be seated while eating, and hot dogs are on the AAP list of inappropriate foods for anyone under 4, but many parents (of all ages) don't bother to follow the AAP recommendations.
K Ray- I agree parenting classes would have little impact because it is usually nurses that teach them. The night shift nurse (after she insisted on whisking my daughter off to the nursery) put a pacifier in my daughter's mouth and then rolled up a towel to wedge between the bassinnet and the pacifier. The staff used pacifiers with all the babies in the maternity. Because I wasn't confrontational at the time, I had to stand at the nursery window for 30 minutes before a kind nurse finally gave my baby to me to room in with. I was 24 when I gave birth, I just hate to think how poorly hospitals treat teen moms.