Dad says he was high on meth while holding his baby, SC cops say. She never woke up
A South Carolina man told police he was high on meth while caring for his baby daughter when she died, Fox Carolina reports.
The father told police Jan. 12 he had been holding the 6-month-old girl “while she was faced toward his chest and armpit area until she got quiet and stopped breathing,” WSPA reports.
“He then placed her face down on a bed and pillow and did not check on her for approximately 45 minutes,” the affidavit said, according to WSPA.
Oconee County Sheriff’s deputies arrested the father, Austin Michael Rogers, 22, Monday and charged him with homicide by child abuse, jail records show.
Bayleigh Marie Rogers’ mother dropped her off with the father in Salem, South Carolina, the Oconee County Coroner’s Office said, according to the Greenville News.
“Austin Rogers was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the girl’s death, deputies said,” the newspaper reports.
The coroner said, “an autopsy performed on Monday indicated that the child died from asphyxiation, and her manner of death has been classified as a homicide,” WSPA reports.
This story was originally published February 6, 2019 at 9:57 AM.
