A 56-year-old woman faces a manslaughter allegation in the death of her 5-month-old grandson.
April Blue Colton made her first court appearance Wednesday in a case that alleges she caused the death of the baby boy last week.
At about 12:30 a.m. May 6, Colton fell asleep while holding her grandson according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court. Colton was lying on a couch, with the baby on top of her with his face down and pressed against her arm, the document states.
The baby’s mother had left her child in Colton’s care. Colton’s neighbor, Julie Abatie, who is a mother to several children, offered to help Colton care for the infant, detectives said.
Colton had fallen asleep in Abatie’s apartment and awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door at about 12:40 a.m., court documents state. At that time, Colton said she knew the baby was not breathing because his chest was not moving and he was not making a sound, according to the affidavit.
Colton then placed the baby face down in a horseshoe-shaped pillow and covered him with a blanket, court records state.
She told detectives that she didn’t know what to do and she was scared, the court record states.
She answered the door and admitted Zachary Salveta, a friend of Abatie’s, court documents state.
Colton then took a shower. When she returned to the living room again at about 1 a.m., Abatie was screaming because the infant was not breathing, according to court documents.
Abatie called 911 and the baby was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. the next day, according to the affidavit.
The baby died of what appeared to be suffocation, according to the court records.
Colton told investigators that she knew it was wrong to hold the child face down with his face pressed against her arm while he slept, and that she knew she should have not placed the baby down on the pillow after she knew he wasn’t breathing, the document states.
Colton also said she knew she should have told someone that the infant wasn’t breathing and called 911, the affidavit states.
Detectives from the Arthur D. Curtis Children’s Justice Center investigated the case and arrested Colton on Tuesday. She faces a possible charge of first-degree manslaughter and failure to summon assistance.
At her court appearance Wednesday, Judge Scott Collier set Colton’s bail at $20,000, saying the decision was based on the fact that Colton had no criminal history. Colton has been on disability the last six years and suffers from major depressive disorder, according to court documents.
Attorney Jeff Sowder was appointed to represent Colton at her arraignment, scheduled for May 27.
