Jury finds KC-area mom guilty in baby’s co-sleeping death. ‘Heartbreaking case’
After a three-day trial, a Leavenworth mother was found guilty in the co-sleeping death of her infant daughter in the fall of 2022.
Megan L. Forbes, 43, who previously was indicted by a grand jury, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated endangering a child. She is scheduled for sentencing on March 27.
Prosecutors presented evidence to the jury that on Oct. 15, 2022, Forbes hosted a party for a family member at her home. Evidence showed that Forbes “consumed multiple alcoholic beverages that night,” a news release about the verdict said.
“As guests were leaving, Forbes expressed a desire to go to a bar,” the release said. “An adult family member took and hid her car key after she attempted to leave her home.”
The next morning, after the baby slept with her mother and father in a bed inside the family home, Forbes woke up and saw blood on her daughter’s face, prosecutors said. The parents called 911.
“While breastfeeding her daughter, Forbes fell asleep with both the infant and the child’s father in the bed,” prosecutors said.
An autopsy showed that the infant died from asphyxiation secondary to a co-sleeping/overlay event with an unsafe sleeping environment.
“This is a heartbreaking case involving the preventable death of a newborn child,” said Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson in an emailed news release. “Safe sleep practices exist to protect infants who are entirely dependent on adults for their safety.
“When alcohol or impairment is involved, the risks increase dramatically.”
