6-month-old baby suffocated between cushions as her parents slept intoxicated, authorities say

Authorities in Michigan said a 6-month-old baby suffocated between cushions while her parents slept intoxicated and after smoking marijuana. According to News Channel 3, authorities on Wednesday charged Jose Roldan Jr., 40, and Ladesha Powe, 29, in connection with their daughter’s death on the night of December 13, 2023. 

Authorities said the incident occurred at the family’s Davis Street home, adding that Roldan and Powe admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana the day their daughter Faith Hope Roldan died.

Roldan said that he ended up sleeping on the couch after drinking nine or 10 “tall boys (25-ounce cans of beers).” Powe, on the other hand, said that she had her daughter in her arms when she fell asleep next to Roldan. She also informed detectives that she was “a lot far gone, wasted maybe, like very, very wasted” at the time.

Footage from the family’s living room showed Faith stuck between the couch cushions after her mother lost grip on the minor as she slept, News Channel 3 reported. Faith later became deprived of air after Roldan moved while sleeping. The infant was also seen moving her feet and crying before she died. 

Later, Powe was seemingly seen searching for her daughter after waking up. She then made her way to the bedroom to continue her sleep. 

Faith’s cause of death was later ruled as mechanical asphyxia while the manner of death was determined to be homicide. Roldan and Powe have since been charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse. Their bond was set at $100,000 cash/surety, and their next court date is set for late April.

“Being a parent, it means being responsible and it means taking care of your kids, not just ignoring the risk that you’re putting them in,” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said, per WOODTV.com.

“When you choose to use drugs or alcohol or other substances that interfere with your ability to be a parent, then you can’t do it while your kids are around and you certainly can’t do it while you’re responsible for caring for them.”