8-week-old baby’s death changed from SIDS to homicide after evidence shows dad fed infant ‘fatal’ dose of alcohol, meth: Cops

A 34-year-old father in Pennsylvania has been arrested nearly three years after allegedly killing his newborn son by feeding the child a fatal dose of alcohol and methamphetamine.

Robert Jenkins Jr. was taken into custody on Monday and charged with a spate of felonies, including three counts of aggravated assault on a child and one count of endangering the welfare of children in the death of his son, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to a news release from the Altoona Police Department, officers on Sept. 5, 2022, responded to a home in the 1400 block of 3rd Avenue in reference to a call about an 8-week-old boy in cardiac arrest. Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found the infant deceased.

Jenkins, the victim’s father, told investigators that he placed his son on a small pillow next to him on the couch where the boy fell asleep. Jenkins claimed he fell asleep soon after, waking up about an hour later to find the boy “blue in color and unresponsive” before calling 911 for help.

“A preliminary investigation and an autopsy attributed the cause of death to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome),” police wrote in the release. “However, several months later upon return of the toxicology reports, it was found that the infant had a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of 0.149% along with methamphetamine in his system. The death was now attributed to alcohol intoxication.”

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The subsequent investigation also turned up evidence of drugs being used in the home, Johnstown NBC affiliate WJAC reported. Such evidence included a “residue” that resembled blood on the portion of the couch where the newborn was allegedly sleeping.

When questioned about the circumstances of his son’s death, Jenkins reportedly said he did not use any drugs or put any alcohol in the baby’s bottle. Instead, he accused the child’s mother — who was under a “no contact” court order at the time — of “breaking into the residence” and feeding their son the alcohol.

Police said they later confirmed that the mother was not near the home on the night of the incident, per the Altoona Mirror.

The Mirror also reported that earlier in the evening, Jenkins sent a Facebook message to another individual that read, “Yo bro you got any up?” Investigators said this was a common way of referring to methamphetamine.

In a follow-up interview, Jenkins reportedly claimed that his sister touched his son while she had drug residue on her hands, though it was later revealed that she had been drug-free and sober for several years.

Following a nearly three-year investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death that included statements from several witnesses, detectives determined that Jenkins was “the sole adult present at the residence at the time of the incident and the only individual that could’ve administered the fatal dose of alcohol,” police said.

Jenkins is currently being held in the Blair County Prison on $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 27.

The post 8-week-old baby’s death changed from SIDS to homicide after evidence shows dad fed infant ‘fatal’ dose of alcohol, meth: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.