Parents arrested after baby found dead on Christmas Day

What's New

Two people have been arrested in Saint Paul, Minnesota, after drugs were suspected to have played a role in the death of their child on Christmas Day.

Newsweek has contacted the Saint Paul Police Department for comment and additional information via email outside of standard working hours on Thursday.

Why It Matters

Current levels of deaths in young people and overdose fatalities inevitably mean more children and babies will die from contact with drugs which are devastating sections of society. A similar incident last year was reported by local media outlets, when a one-year-old girl died after ingesting fentanyl. The child's mother was charged with manslaughter, while her father was charged with felony child endangerment.

According to the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention, almost 37,000 children die before their 18th birthday every year in the U.S. A 2023 report from the Minnesota Department of Health, based on preliminary data found that in 2022, three Minnesotans died each day from drug overdoses. According to 2023 research from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, unintentional drug overdoses have accounted for more than nine in 10 poisoning deaths among adolescents since 2016.

What To Know

Saint Paul Police Department said that officers found a 1.5-year-old child unresponsive at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, at a residence in the 1,000 block of Fifth Street East.

"The infant was transported to Regions Hospital, where they were pronounced deceased," it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Jeffrey Weidell, 38, and Jasmine Ryan, 31, were arrested on suspicion of second degree manslaughter in connection to the death of their young child, the department said.

What People Are Saying

Saint Paul Police Department on X, formerly Twitter: "Preliminary information indicates narcotics may have played a role in the child's death," police said on Wednesday.

What Happens Next

Saint Paul Police Department says that the investigation is still ongoing.

In the neighboring state of Wisconsin, two teenagers were shot and killed on Christmas morning in Milwaukee, local law enforcement said.

The Milwaukee Police Department reported that a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were shot on Christmas Day at 11:25 a.m. and were later pronounced dead. A man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The victims were not immediately named, and police are treating the shooting as a double homicide.

Newsweek contacted the Milwaukee Police Department for comment via email.

In South Carolina, a four-year-old infant died after being shot inside a vehicle on Christmas Eve.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed that Jah'el E. Walker died from his wounds on Christmas Day.

Officers reported that a firearm had been recovered, but no arrests had been made.

Newsweek previously contacted the Columbia Police Department for more information.

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