A 21-year-old Indiana mother was recently charged after her baby girl died in bed with her last October – making it the second time in four years her newborn died while sleeping in the same bed, authorities said.
Aaliyah Lykins, of Muncie, allegedly said “Oh no, I did it again,” to first responders at the scene on Oct. 9, 2023 after the young mother fell asleep while breastfeeding her two-week-old child, according to court docs obtained by local outlets.
Daughter Addilynn Lykins was tragically pronounced dead at the hospital after efforts to resuscitate her failed. The child was found by medics “to be limp, with so signs of respiration,” a court affidavit filed on Feb. 15 stated, according to Fox 59.
“Lykins was fully aware of the danger of co-sleeping with her infant… as she had a prior born child die while co-sleeping,” the affidavit reportedly states.
About four years prior, Lykins’ 7-week-old son, Aiden Lykins, died after she slept in bed with the baby, the affidavit states, the Star Press reported.
She allegedly admitted to police in 2020 “that she should not have placed Aiden in bed with her and that she knew it was wrong.”
While she faced no charges stemming from the earlier incident, Lykins was charged this month with reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent, both felonies, the newspaper reported.
Lykins has had other past run-ins with the law still pending in court, including arrests for battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman, domestic battery with a deadly weapon and domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, the Star Press reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises new parents to have their newborn baby sleep in the same room as them, but not sleep in the same bed.