News KBMT
Story Created: Dec 15, 2009 at 9:42 PM CST
Story Updated: Dec 17, 2009 at 3:49 PM CST
Child Protective Services tells 12 News that a 12-year-old living in the house where a baby burned to death, has been placed with a relative while the investigation continues.
CPS says they are waiting on an autopsy report and investigating Tuesday's tragic death of 7-week-old Jashawn Keller.
CPS says there has been no finding of wrong-doing and the investigation could continue for up to 60 days.
Shari Pulliam, with CPS, tells 12 news questions in the investigation are "Who was responsible for watching the child" and "What was the time fram before the baby had been checked on?"
Authorities said paramedics were dispatched to the 1800 block of Houston Avenue around 6:30 PM Tuesday in reference to an unresponsive infant.
They found the body of a 7 week old child, identified as Jashawn Keller, with major burns to the body.
Authorities say Keller was near a humidifier in a bedroom and that part of the skin peeled from steam burns.
CPS tells 12 news the baby was in a car seat on top of a humidifier.
Authorities say a plastic sheet was placed over the baby and the humidifier. CPS also says the baby was near a heater.
Keller's great grandmother tells 12 news the death was an accident and that the baby was congested.
Preliminary autopsy reports suggest the baby died from cardio pulminary arrest due to extreme heat exposure and thermal burns.
"It was an accident! The whole family is devastated" said great-grandmother Bernadine Proctor. "He was congested, and she was trying to give him his breathing treatment. He'd been taking it everyday" said Proctor.
"This one is so close to christmas, such a small baby only seven weeks old is very tragic" said Shari Pulliam with CPS.
Authorities said the twenty year-old mother was running errands while the baby was at home with his aunt and grandmother.
CPS said such a tragic death should remind parents to constantly check on their kids, especially when heating homes because of the cooler temperatures.
"Make sure they're not close to heaters of any kind, near an open flame, or any type of unit thats making any type of steam. Make sure its not placed really close to a child" said Pulliam.
The family of little Jashawn said they're grieving his loss, knowing they'll never get to see him grow up.
"All we're interested in is trying to get through this together, and we just want peace - because it was a very unfortunate accident" said Proctor.
Investigators are waiting for the final autopsy report to move forward in their investigation.
http://www.kbmt12.com/news/local/79372517.html
Emphasis added by H4K Editor |