A 2-month-old Beaufort infant died in sleep, report says
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A Lady’s Island mother told police she woke up Tuesday morning to find her infant daughter, who had been sleeping in a nearby bassinet, not breathing, a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report says.
Michaela Ryan, 2 months old, was later was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Beaufort County Coroner J. Edward Allen said an autopsy was completed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Thursday. He said results are pending.
“We are investigating the circumstances around the infant’s death,” Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said Thursday.
He added the Sheriff’s Office investigates all deaths that are unattended.
The mother told police she last fed Michaela and her twin sibling about midnight Tuesday. She then placed Michaela in a bassinet on her side with a blanket.
Michaela was found about 7 a.m. on her stomach and not moving, the report says.
The child did not have any known medical diagnoses but was born premature, the report says.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recommends infants sleep on a separate safety-approved mattress. The babies should be placed on their backs without pillows, blankets or crib bumpers, the institute’s website says.
Babies also should not sleep in adult beds or on couches and should wear sleep clothing, the site says.