MARYSVILLE, Wash. — A Marysville father admitted to police that he had put his infant's face down on the bed preceding her death.
Marysville police were called to the 900 block of Columbia Avenue around 11:12 p.m. on Saturday to a report that the baby wasn't breathing. Police and medics attempted life-saving measures, but the infant was pronounced dead at the scene.
The infant's father admitted to police that he had put the infant face down on the bed preceding her death. He described it as a technique he had used numerous times before to help the baby pass gas, which she struggled with. The father admitted to pushing the child's face into the bed for a period of about two minutes both to help her pass gas and to stop her crying. He said he was worried the neighbors would hear her and call Child Protective Services, which has happened before.
The father said the baby then turned her face sideways and went to sleep.
The parents then watched TV for about an hour, believing that the baby was sleeping. However, they found she was cold to the touch when they checked on her and the whole side of her face was black, according to probable cause documents.
Detectives from the Marysville Investigations Unit were called out and began an investigation into the baby's death.
Both parents were booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Saturday for second-degree murder and homicide by abuse. At a court appearance on Monday, the father was ordered to be held on $25,000 bail and the mother was released without bond.
Two other children also found at the home were taken into the custody of the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Marysville Investigations Division at 360-363-8326.