LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Lafayette woman will serve at least the next 25 years in prison and another five on probation after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent in the 2022 death of her 4- month-old son, Silas.
According to court documents, on July 24, 2022, Kelsey Harrington, 32, and Silas' father, Joshua Perry, left Silas unattended in their car while the couple went inside a local CVS Pharmacy.
Silas was found by a woman who heard him crying when she stepped out of her car. The woman called 911, concerned for the infant's safety. Officers eventually spoke with Harrington and Perry, who told police they were in the store for at least 10 minutes.
Officers reviewed security footage and discovered Harrington and Perry were in the store for a total of 13 minutes while their son was inside their car with a blanked over him in 84-degree weather.
The next day, a case manager with the Indiana Department of Child Services visited Harrington and Perry's home and found baby Silas was sleeping improperly. The case manager informed the parents that their son should be placed on his back in a crib, pack 'n play, bassinet or cradle without any toys, stuffed animals, pillows or blankets.
Court documents say Perry signed a form acknowledging him and the caseworker had gone over safe sleeping practices earlier in May.
A few days later on July 29, the Otterbein Police Department, along with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, responded to an apartment in the 700 block of East Oxford Street regarding a 4-month-old who was not breathing.
The location was Harrington and Perry's apartment. Officers found Perry cradling Silas in a chair. First responders attempted life-saving measures on the infant, but Silas was soon pronounced dead.
According to court documents, Perry and Harrington told police they had left their home at 5 p.m. and did not return until 9 p.m. Perry told officers he put Silas to sleep in a pack 'n play, resting his head on a concave pillow. Officers learned Silas was not checked by the parents for at least 45 minutes before finding him unresponsive.
Harrington told officers Silas was asleep for two to three hours while her and Perry remained in the bedroom, only leaving to smoke cigarettes. When Harrington returned to feed Silas, he was found lying on his stomach, blue-faced and unresponsive.
During the interviews, court documents say officers detected heavy odors of alcohol coming from the parents' breaths.
Officers reviewed security footage from the apartment complex, which confirmed the couple left Silas alone in the apartment for four hours. The footage also showed that the couple did not call 911 for at least 20 minutes after they returned home.
Silas' cause of death was determined to be positional asphyxia.
Harrington will serve at least 25 years in prison, with the remaining five years to be served on probation.
Perry's sentencing date has not yet been set.