Inset: Brooklyn Davis (IMPD). Background: The area in Indiana where Davis' newborn son died in his sleep (Google Maps).
A 27-year-old mother and licensed day care operator in Indiana is accused of fatally neglecting her newborn son, allegedly leaving the baby to sleep atop an adult bed with his 6-year-old sibling and multiple pillows and blankets.
Brooklyn Davis was taken into custody earlier this month and charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent, all felonies, in connection with the September 2024 death, court records show.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call from Community East Hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, after the infant was brought in unresponsive from the family's home on Mountain Stream Way, local Fox affiliate WXIN reported, citing a probable cause affidavit.
The victim was in cardiac arrest and "never regained a pulse," according to a Department of Child Services report cited in the probable cause affidavit. He was pronounced dead at 3:07 a.m.
Investigators later determined the infant had been sleeping in Davis' bed alongside his older sibling in what authorities described as an improper co-sleeping situation.
According to the affidavit, Davis showed investigators a video of the baby sleeping face down on the older child's chest, Cincinnati CBS and CW affiliate WKRC reported. The child was later found unresponsive "in a prone position with his face turned to the side and partially covered with a blanket."
An autopsy reportedly determined the cause of death was "sudden explained death of an infant" with an intrinsic factor, citing that the baby had been "placed to sleep in a queen-sized mattress being shared with a 6-year-old sibling, along with numerous blankets and other miscellaneous items."
Investigators say Davis attempted CPR after finding the infant unresponsive before rushing him to the hospital.
Court documents indicate Davis had prior involvement with the Department of Child Services and had signed a "Safe Sleep Safety Plan" in July 2024 — just weeks after the child was born — acknowledging that infants should sleep in a crib, bassinet, or play yard and that co-sleeping increases the risk of suffocation.
That plan also specifically stipulated that Davis was not to use marijuana while caring for her children. However, she told investigators that hours before finding her son unresponsive, she had gone upstairs to go smoke marijuana, leaving him and his sibling alone in the bed.
Authorities also said that Davis operated a state-licensed day care and reportedly had "extensive training on child care and safe sleeping environments," according to the affidavit.
Interviews with other children in the home allegedly indicated that co-sleeping with the baby happened frequently.
"Due to Brooklyn [Davis'] actions and disregarding the safety plan and her training, DCS removed her two remaining children from her home," the affidavit states.
Investigators said they attempted to follow up with Davis multiple times after initial interviews.
"She called me on February 18, 2025, and said she didn't do anything wrong, her baby died of SIDS," a detective reportedly wrote. "Brooklyn [Davis] never came in for an additional interview."
The case was formally filed in March 2026. Davis was booked into jail on April 1 and appeared in court for an initial hearing on April 7. A bail review hearing was scheduled for Monday.
Follow Law&Crime:
Comments