HASTINGS, Mich. (WZZM) -- Police believe an infant likely suffocated after she pushed herself under a sofa cushion.
Officers were called to a home around 11 a.m. Monday on East State Road in Hastings after receiving a report about a child found not breathing on a sofa. Emergency crews transported the seven-month-old girl to a nearby hospital, where doctors were able to re-establish a pulse. The baby was then taken to a Grand Rapids hospital, but she died Tuesday.
Police determined the infant had been placed on a sofa around 4 a.m., when someone in the house was attending to her. A relative later found the child on the sofa not breathing, and called 911. Investigators say the girl had reportedly pushed herself under a nearby sofa arm cushion and suffocated.
Hastings Police say they are still investigating the incident, but hope reporting of it will help education parents in an effort to prevent similar incidents from occurring. They are encouraging young parents to consult hospital education programs for sleeping arrangements for infants.