Woman arrested in Polk County after second 'co-sleeping' newborn death, officials say

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A 25-year-old Winter Haven woman with a lengthy criminal history was arrested Tuesday after her 18-day-old newborn died while sleeping in a bed with her, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

It was the second time that Erin Piche-Pitts had a newborn die while "co-sleeping," investigators said.

“You have a moral, an ethical and have a legal obligation to take care of that child. She didn’t do that,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

The first incident was in 2009, 13 days after she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, deputies said.

Piche-Pitts fell asleep on Dec. 4, 2009, while breastfeeding the girl, and when she woke up, the child was unresponsive, the sheriff’s office said.

She was pronounced dead at a hospital, deputies said.

The infant’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to “probably overlay and co-sleeping,” a sheriff’s office news release said.

The death was ruled accidental.

When Piche-Pitts became pregnant for a second time in March, experts and family members repeatedly told her about the danger of co-sleeping, investigators said.

Piche-Pitts fell asleep on Oct. 6 while giving her 18-day-old son a bottle of formula in bed. When she woke up more than two hours later, she found him unresponsive, the sheriff’s office said.

“Her demeanor is totally shocked we would put her in jail, and when we tried to interview her, she had a meltdown. She couldn’t believe she was arrested. She didn’t think she did anything wrong,” Judd said.

The baby was taken to Winter Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

Piche-Pitts was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, the sheriff’s office said.

“Because of her disregard for all the instruction and rules, her second child died and that’s why criminally criminal charges brought against her,” Judd said.

According to police and sheriff’s office records, Piche-Pitts has been arrested nine times since 2005 on charges of domestic violence and aggravated battery, and possession of methamphetamine in July, while she was pregnant.

Cox Media Group