Parents charged in barricaded crib suffocation death of son
MYERSTOWN (AP) – A Pennsylvania couple who allegedly tied and weighted down a mattress on top of their son’s crib so he couldn’t climb out has been charged in the boy’s suffocation death.
WGAL-TV reports 29-year-old Justin Dwyer and 28-year-old Courtney Stash have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and other crimes in the April death of their 2-year-old son.
Lebanon County detectives say the Myerstown couple told them they weighted down the mattress with bagged rock salt and tied it down with bungee cords.
Detectives say the boy still tried to climb out and got his head above the crib’s rail, but became trapped and suffocated by the weight of the mattress and rock salt.
Online court records don’t list attorneys for the couple who were charged Tuesday but have yet to be arraigned.