The baby, who was only identified as Harper’s son, was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Jessica Harper’s youngest child suffocated earlier this year after the 28-year-old mom ignored warnings from doctors not to sleep in the same bed with the infant, authorities say. While there is no evidence Harper intentionally killed her son, she had been warned on multiple occasions not to sleep in the same bed as the baby. She was arrested at her home and will be held without bail. Dr. Wayne Ross, a forensic pathologist for the Lancaster County Coroner performed an autopsy and determined the cause and manner of death was asphyxiation by homicide.
“She stated she lost track of time and continued to text her friends for over two hours or more”, Detective Angel Valle wrote at the time, the newspaper reported. She was charged with child abuse but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and was sentenced to time served (85 days).
When H.K. was born, medical staff informed Harper of safety conditions acceptable for infants, also making the woman watch video on safe sleeping, police said. According to police, after she gave birth at a Lancaster hospital on May 20, she was made to read about safe sleeping and required to sign a form acknowledging she understood the dangers.
And in 2011, her 2-month-old child also died from what is called “positional asphyxiation”, according to reports.
Just six days before her son died, Harper was again told by her pediatrician at Diamantoni and Associates about the dangers of co-sleeping.
Harper told investigators she went to sleep and woke up to find the infant was not breathing. Although the death was not intentional she had a reckless disregard for the life of her baby.
Police say this is Harper’s second child to die from positional asphyxia this within the last five years.
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A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 20.
