Mom charged after baby suffocates in her bed — her second child to die while co-sleeping
A North Carolina mother was charged with involuntary manslaughter this month after her baby boy suffocated while sleeping with her — the second time one of her newborns died while co-sleeping with her, police said.
The latest tragedy struck the family last October when the 7-week-old infant was found by Wilmington police unconscious after sleeping in a queen-sized bed with mother Mackenzie Katlyn Reed, another parent and his twin, officials alleged in documents obtained by the Star News.
The child, named Zhen, was not breathing and could not be saved.
The police report alleged “the mother was smoking THC and using THC gummies during the day and evening” on Oct. 2, 2023 in the hours leading up to the child’s death, the newspaper reported.
Zhen’s cause of death was “asphyxia due to unsafe sleep environment,” the autopsy report from the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined, according to the newspaper.
The tot was also suffering the “human rhino/enterovirus infection,” also known as the common cold, which contributed to his death, the autopsy report said
Zhen was discovered “prone … with (his) face in (a) blanket,” according to the autopsy.
The child’s father woke up around 2 a.m. and found the infant face down on the mother’s right side after Zhen’s twin brother began to cry, authorities said.
This isn’t the first time one of Reed’s children died while sleeping next to her.
Reed’s 3-month-old, named Justin, died in 2022, the Stars News reported, citing police.
“The mother…stated that she could not believe that she had done this a second time,” a police report reportedly reads.
Reed didn’t face charges in the 2022 case because there was not enough evidence to prosecute, said the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office, according to WECT.
In the 2023 death, Reed was charged on March 6 with involuntary manslaughter, as well as child abuse causing serious injury and child abuse and neglect causing serious physical injury, according to jail records.
Zhen was remembered as a baby who loved to smile, according to the child’s obituary.
“His adoration for music was matched only by the way he would smile and coo at his mother, melting her heart with every interaction,” the obit states. “Zhen had a mischievous side too, often raising an eyebrow and giving a side eye in a playful way towards his father.”
