BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Two Bellingham parents face manslaughter charges in connection to the death of their 3-month-old son, reports The Bellingham Herald.
The boy’s mother, 22-year-old Brittany Shane Daniels, left for work on Dec. 8 at around 9:30 a.m. from their apartment at 1800 Alabama St.
23-year-old Cody James Shields, the boy’s father, assumed Daniels would check on their son, Lucian, before she left.
He texted Daniels at around 5 p.m., saying that the baby was dead in his crib.
Daniels called 911 and rushed home from work, said Bellingham Police Lieutenant Vander Yacht.
Police responded with paramedics.
The medical examiner’s report said the boy’s death was a result of a “prolonged period of parental inattention.”
Bellingham Police said evidence indicated that Lucian hadn’t been fed in days. An autopsy showed that the boy had next to no fat on his body.
The official cause of death was malnutrition, dehydration and “neglect of ordinary car of infant,” according to the county medical examiner.
The death was ruled a homicide.
On the day of Lucian’s birth, records show he weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces. At the time of his death, he weighed 9 pounds and 7 ounces.
Both parents were booked into Whatcom County Jail at around 3 p.m. Thursday. They face one count of manslaughter in the second degree.