North Las Vegas police investigate December deaths of 2 infants

Detectives are waiting on toxicology reports in both cases, and no arrests have been made in either death, North Las Vegas Police Department spokesman Eric Leavitt said Wednesday. Police said one of the cases was likely a co-sleeping death, but the Clark County coroner’s office has yet to rule on a cause or manner of death in either case.

The first investigation involves Chief Ra Redbone, a 1-month-old who died Dec. 14 at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, according to the coroner’s office. Leavitt said Chief’s father took the baby to the hospital after finding him unresponsive at his North Las Vegas home.

Leavitt said doctors did not find any signs of physical trauma on the boy, but Chief’s parents gave slightly different stories while talking with detectives.

“It is a little suspicious if someone’s at home and they see their child not breathing; usually the first thing is to call 911, call the ambulance,” Leavitt said. “This happened in North Las Vegas, and they went down to Sunrise, which is a children’s hospital, but it’s quite a ways away from us.”

According to a county Department of Family Services report, Chief’s family had no prior history with the agency.

Police also are investigating the death of 7-day-old Kayleigh Jenaya Tate, who died Dec. 23. Officers were called about 6 a.m. to the a home in the Cheyenne Villas apartment complex, 3260 Fountain Falls Way, Leavitt said.

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 girl “between her and the couch,” Leavitt said.

Detectives are not considering the death suspicious but are waiting on toxicology reports to determine if the case will be closed, he said. Toxicology results typically take six to eight weeks, he said.

The Family Services Department received a report in January 2014 regarding Kayleigh’s family that alleged neglect, but the department closed the case after “unsuccessful attempts to make contact with the family and insufficient information available to support the allegation.”

The department received another report of neglect in August 2015, but that case was closed after investigators failed to make contact with the family. A report made Dec. 16 — three days after Kayleigh died — “did not rise to the level of warranting an investigation” and was coded “information only.”

More information about both cases was not available.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.