Infant’s asphyxiation death in North Las Vegas ruled an accident
The death of a week-old girl that was investigated by North Las Vegas police was ruled an accident by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Kayleigh Tate died Dec. 23 after officers were called to a home in the Cheyenne Villas apartment complex, 3260 Fountain Falls Way, North Las Vegas Police Department spokesman Eric Leavitt said in January.
Kayleigh’s mother called 911 after finding the baby unresponsive, and she later told police she “fell asleep after feeding (Kayleigh) on her chest,” but woke up with the infant “between her and the couch,” Leavitt said.
The coroner’s office has ruled Kayleigh’s death an accident due to positional asphyxia.
Leavitt said in January that police were not considering the death suspicious, but were waiting on a toxicology report to determine if the case would be closed. It was unclear if the case remained open Tuesday.
The American SIDS Institute says parents can prevent accidental suffocation by keeping infants’ airways free. The institute recommends that parents avoid bed sharing, not let babies fall asleep on their stomachs steer clear of cluttered sleep surfaces.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.