IL - Benjamin Sargent, 5 mos, dies of extreme neglect, Peoria, 12 Feb 2008

[imthemom]

http://www.week.com/news/local/15585402.html

The body of a baby boy was found strapped inside a car seat at a Peoria home Tuesday afternoon.

Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll says six-month old Benjamin Sargent was discovered dead inside the home at 3012 West Proctor.
Ingersoll says a male whose relationship to the child is unknown called 9-1-1-yesterday afternoon.

I have a feeling there will be way more to this story. Unknown male relationship, most likely mom's BF.

 

[Tranaice]

Oh no, not another precious little baby found dead.

 

[SewingDeb]

I thought this was going to be another thread on the Galveston baby who was found dead. I hate this! Babies should be cherished but yet we read every day about another one being killed.

 

[hipmamajen]

From the article: When authorities arrived at the house they found the baby lying unresponsive inside a car seat in the crib of a bedroom.

I just wanted to say that we were told by the doctor to keep my son strapped in his car seat in his crib until he was nearly a year old. It helped keep him upright, so his GERD didn't hurt him so much. I don't know what the situation was with this little boy, but that part didn't sound too weird to me just because of our experience.

I hope he wasn't murdered, I'm having a hard time with all the murdered babies lately

 

[believe09]

Kids at risk for SIDS, heart defects, respiratory ailments, croup etc...can sleep in a car seat in their cribs.

 

[cheko1]

I thought this was going to be another thread on the Galveston baby who was found dead. I hate this! Babies should be cherished but yet we read every day about another one being killed.

I thought the same thing Sewing Deb.
Breaks my heart each time I read about a innocent little baby.
May he RIP!!!!

 

[dimples37398]

I am with yall, and pray it wasn't at the hands of the parents....a little bit discouraging reading about all the parents hurting these little angels.

I can also relate to putting babies in a car seat in the crib.....my 8 yr old had reflux severely and would vomit projectile exorcist like, so sometimes I put him in his car seat beside my bed to sleep just for my peace of mind and so that it didn't bother him so much.

Also my 5 yr old girl had GERD and she would just scream and scream when I guess it came back up her throat and it would burn in her throat....so we put her in her car seat most of the time beside the bed so that it would help to keep it from coming up so badly.

When I was pregnant with my now almost 3 yr old, there was a lady on a message board I was a member of and she had a baby whom was around 6 months....the baby was in his car seat sleeping and he just quit breathing.....they said it was SIDS......

Kel

 

[Taximom]

We did the same with my youngest because she some type of respiratory problem for about a month. I didn't put her in her crib though because I was afraid the car seat would tip over because the mattress was too soft.

At 6 months, this baby might have gotten himself tangled up if he wasn't buckled in the right way. I sure hope it's an "innocent" death. Poor baby.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

I am glad you all cleaered that whole car seat in the crib thing up for me because when I first read the article I was like OMG who would put their baby in a car seat in the crib?!?! I never heard of that before but I guess it's because I had no reason to. Poor little baby it does look like an accident.. I hope so anyway.

 

[MistyM]

they called the death suspicious.

that's horrible. i mean, it's horrible the baby died. maybe the dad or mom shook the baby, or hurt him, then stuck him back in the carseat.

 

[Filly]

I am glad you all cleaered that whole car seat in the crib thing up for me because when I first read the article I was like OMG who would put their baby in a car seat in the crib?!?! I never heard of that before but I guess it's because I had no reason to. Poor little baby it does look like an accident.. I hope so anyway.

Ditto, Sadie. Thank you guys for clearing that up. I thought the same thing as in why would the baby be in his car seat in his crib? Poor little guy. It is just sad no matter what.

 

[imthemom]

http://www.pjstar.com/php/index.php...had_not_been_well_cared_forquot_coroner_says/


PEORIA - A 5-month-old baby weighed 10 pounds when authorities found him dead Tuesday at his South Peoria home. "It was obvious that this child had not been well cared for," said Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll on Wednesday, declining to comment further on the case because of the continuing investigation.

The man was the baby's father. I hope they can explain why their baby only weighed 10 lbs.

 

[Hiker]

It is possible that this is a case of a child with some sort of severe digestive disorder - that would explain the weight being only 10 lbs, child being in a car seat in the crib and possibly malnutrition. The fact that the home is described as being 'well-maintained' gives me hope that this is the case. Most of time when you see an infant where the parents have not made an effort to adequately care for the child, you also see a disordered household - lots of clutter and sometimes genuine filth.

 

[believe09]

It is possible that this is a case of a child with some sort of severe digestive disorder - that would explain the weight being only 10 lbs, child being in a car seat in the crib and possibly malnutrition. The fact that the home is described as being 'well-maintained' gives me hope that this is the case. Most of time when you see an infant where the parents have not made an effort to adequately care for the child, you also see a disordered household - lots of clutter and sometimes genuine filth.

I am with you Hiker-if the child had something like pyrroeic stenosis (sp) or Hirschprungs, you can see an underweight child...I am holding out until the autopsy is complete. And I would think that any death of an infant is suspicious...

 

[imthemom]

I am with you Hiker-if the child had something like pyrroeic stenosis (sp) or Hirschprungs, you can see an underweight child...I am holding out until the autopsy is complete. And I would think that any death of an infant is suspicious...

If you guys check out the link click on comments. There is quite a long argument going on right now about jumping to conclusions. Some people there were neighbors and said they seen the mother walking in the cold often with only a T-shirt on and they asked if she needed help and she said it was too hot in her house?

 

[Mygirlsadie]

10lbs at 5 months could of very well been a preemie. Preemies do have alot of digestive problems, reflux etc..

 

[SewingDeb]

Imthemom,

Those comments were interesting. Did you see the one saying the person who called 9-1-1 refused to perform CPR when the dispatcher wanted to walk them through it?

 

[ksgirl78]

I too had never heard of placing a baby in a car seat to sleep. My first reaction was WHAT??? I felt kind of stupid once I kept reading and heard some of the reasons for letting a baby sleep in his/her car seat, that makes sense. I am pretty sure too that any infant death is classified suspicious...I had a niece who died of SIDS at 2 mths old...we lived in a tiny town then and it was considered suspicious until autopsy results came back. And there were lots of questions, several times, from LE with all of the immediate family also until the results came back!

Praying this baby died of natural causes and not at the hands of the parents!

 

[imthemom]

Imthemom,

Those comments were interesting. Did you see the one saying the person who called 9-1-1 refused to perform CPR when the dispatcher wanted to walk them through it?

Yes, I also thought it was odd that the coronary said "the baby was not well taken care of". Whey would he make a statement like that without evidence yet? I also thought, if I found my baby not breathing, I sure as heck would have taken it out of the car seat and been trying to revive him. But still waiting for autopsy, should be done this afternoon.

 

[Blondieskatz]

I hope they didn't starve that poor baby to death.