8-week-old baby's death changed from SIDS to homicide after evidence shows dad fed infant 'fatal' dose of alcohol, meth: Cops

A 34-year-old begetter successful Pennsylvania has been arrested astir 3 years aft allegedly killing his newborn lad by feeding the kid a fatal dose of intoxicant and methamphetamine.

Robert Jenkins Jr. was taken into custody connected Monday and charged with a spate of felonies, including 3 counts of aggravated battle connected a kid and 1 number of endangering the payment of children successful the decease of his son, tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to a news release from the Altoona Police Department, officers connected Sept. 5, 2022, responded to a location successful the 1400 artifact of 3rd Avenue successful notation to a telephone astir an 8-week-old lad successful cardiac arrest. Upon arriving astatine the address, archetypal responders said they recovered the babe deceased.

Jenkins, the victim's father, told investigators that helium placed his lad connected a tiny pillow adjacent to him connected the sofa wherever the lad fell asleep. Jenkins claimed helium fell dormant soon after, waking up astir an hr aboriginal to find the lad "blue successful colour and unresponsive" earlier calling 911 for help.

"A preliminary probe and an autopsy attributed the origin of decease to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)," constabulary wrote successful the release. "However, respective months aboriginal upon instrumentality of the toxicology reports, it was recovered that the babe had a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of 0.149% on with methamphetamine successful his system. The decease was present attributed to intoxicant intoxication."

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The consequent probe besides turned up grounds of drugs being utilized successful the home, Johnstown NBC affiliate WJAC reported. Such grounds included a "residue" that resembled humor connected the information of the sofa wherever the newborn was allegedly sleeping.

When questioned astir the circumstances of his son's death, Jenkins reportedly said helium did not usage immoderate drugs oregon enactment immoderate intoxicant successful the baby's bottle. Instead, helium accused the child's parent — who was nether a "no contact" tribunal bid astatine the clip — of "breaking into the residence" and feeding their lad the alcohol.

Police said they aboriginal confirmed that the parent was not adjacent the location connected the nighttime of the incident, per the Altoona Mirror.

The Mirror besides reported that earlier successful the evening, Jenkins sent a Facebook connection to different idiosyncratic that read, "Yo bro you got immoderate up?" Investigators said this was a communal mode of referring to methamphetamine.

In a follow-up interview, Jenkins reportedly claimed that his sister touched his lad portion she had cause residue connected her hands, though it was aboriginal revealed that she had been drug-free and sober for respective years.

Following a astir three-year probe into the circumstances of the boy's decease that included statements from respective witnesses, detectives determined that Jenkins was "the sole big contiguous astatine the residence astatine the clip of the incidental and the lone idiosyncratic that could've administered the fatal dose of alcohol," constabulary said.

Jenkins is presently being held successful the Blair County Prison connected $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to look successful tribunal for a preliminary proceeding connected Aug. 27.