'Mostly underneath the couch cushion': 2-month-old girl died after her mother fell asleep with the child in her arms, cops say

A pistillate successful Indiana is accused of causing her 2-month-old daughter's decease by falling dormant connected the sofa with the kid successful her arms, causing the baby to go wedged underneath a cushion and suffocate.

Quinzena Rancefer, 31, stands charged with neglect of a babelike causing superior bodily injury, according to tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime.

Though the complaint was handed down this week, the incidental occurred backmost successful March 2024.

According to tribunal records reviewed by Fort Wayne-based ABC and NBC affiliate WPTA, connected the nighttime of March 25, 2024, into March 26, 2024, Rancefer fell dormant connected her sofa with her babe successful her arms. Though she said her kid usually slept successful a adjacent bassinet, connected this night, the babe slept betwixt her and the backmost of the sofa truthful she wouldn't autumn disconnected the furniture, authorities allege.

Then the defendant's relative arrived astatine the apartment, authorities said, uncovering the babe "face down and lying mostly underneath the sofa cushion," according to the charging document.

The relative reportedly said helium deed Rancefer respective times due to the fact that it was hard to aftermath her up.

The relative realized the babe wasn't breathing, and Rancefer, astatine immoderate point, did aftermath up, becoming "hysterical" upon learning this fact, the tribunal records state.

Officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department were called to the location owed to reports of a young kid successful captious condition.

The miss was aboriginal pronounced dormant arsenic a effect of asphyxia owed to overlay and wedging, WPTA reported.

As the probe continued and constabulary obtained a warrant to hunt the apartment, investigators allegedly recovered a solid tube with burnt residue inside, a torch lighter, suspected marijuana, and medicine pills.

The time the miss died, Rancefer reportedly submitted to an oral cause screen, wherever she tested affirmative for amphetamine and methamphetamine, according to authorities. An Indiana Department of Child Services lawsuit manager is said to person discovered the kid had been drug-exposed and had THC successful her system.

Due to the suspect allegedly investigating affirmative for drugs and the child's presumption erstwhile she was recovered not breathing, instrumentality enforcement alleged Rancefer was negligent successful her daughter's death.

She is acceptable to person an archetypal proceeding successful her lawsuit connected Tuesday, tribunal records state.