A St. Louis Park woman drank alcohol, consumed a bottle of pills and was feeding her 5-week-old baby when she fell asleep, killing the infant last year, according to charges.
Mikaela E. Devitt, 38, was charged Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court with one count of second-degree manslaughter in the Dec. 28 incident.
Police at the scene also found what appeared to be alcohol on the night stand and smelled burnt marijuana, the charges said.
"The defendant told officers that she woke up in her bed and noticed Victim face down on the mattress, not breathing," the charges said.
According to the complaint: Police were called to the scene on Dec. 28 and found the baby not breathing and cold to the touch. They provided medical aid, but the baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Autopsy results showed that the baby died of positional asphyxia.
Police searching the room found two medication bottles on the night stand next to the bed. A bottle for lorazepam, which is generally used to treat anxiety and seizures, was empty. The prescription called for 10 pills to be taken one at a time every six hours, the charges said.
Devitt allegedly told a medical examiner investigator at the scene that she believed she fell asleep while feeding the baby in bed. She also allegedly told an officer that she took 10 of the lorazepam pills on the previous day and also drank alcohol.
In another interview with police on Feb. 3 with an attorney present, Devitt denied taking the pills and said she did not remember telling an officer that she had, the charges said.
Devitt was charged via summons, meaning she will be allowed to turn herself into authorities at a future date for booking.
