A Hopkins County man has been indicted in the death of a newborn baby.
Brandon Morse, 22, of Madisonville, is accused of taking a sleeping aid and then going to sleep in the same bed as a four-month-old baby. He apparently rolled over onto the baby while he was sleeping, resulting in the baby’s death.
The incident occurred in April at Elk Creek Trailer Park in Madisonville.
Madisonville police began its investigation after the baby was taken to a local hospital and pronounced deceased.
“I made contact with the mother’s boyfriend who was sleeping with the child, and during interviews with him he contradicted himself multiple times; changing his story,” Madisonville PD Detective Kobe Hart told WFIE.com. “Ultimately, he finally disclosed with investigators that he was co-sleeping with the child and that he had rolled over on the child and ultimately resulted in the child’s death.”
Morse taking the sleeping aid contributed to him being indicted, police told the news outlet.
“The sleeping aid definitely played a role in it because he was getting into a bed with an infant and he took a medication, or some type of sleeping aid. So that definitely did play a role,” Hart said.
Morse was indicted by a Hopkins County Grand Jury on a reckless homicide charge. He was lodged in the Hopkins County Detention Center on a $25,000 cash bond.
