Baby dies in sitter's care

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A baby boy died in the care of a babysitter in a hotel room Tuesday, and the woman faces charges though no foul play is suspected, Riverdale Police Chief Samuel Patterson told the AJC.

The 6-month-old's lungs were filled with fluid and his body was stiff by the time the caretaker drove him to Southern Regional Medical Center, the police chief said.

The babysitter advertised her services on the popular classified advertising Web site Craigslist, Patterson said. He said police had reason to believe the mother did as well and that he's unsure which party responded to which ad but that investigators were "satisfied that they hooked up on Craigslist."

Patterson said the boy's mother had to work an overnight shift and desperately needed someone to watch her baby.

"Had it been left with the right person, I would hope that the child would still be alive today," Patterson said. "Quite frankly, the child was dead before it left home because the charge nurse at the hospital said rigor mortis had already set in" by the time the baby arrived at Southern Regional.

A preliminary autopsy indicated that the boy died of an embolism associated with bronchitis, Patterson said, adding that a conclusive determination will come after a toxicology analysis.

The woman who had been watching him was detained for questioning. She will face state and local charges for operating an unlicensed daycare, the police chief said. Her husband, who described the dead child as "whiny," was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child support in Carroll County, Patterson added.

Two other children -- a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old unrelated to the dead boy -- also were in the couple's care at the Hometown Inn on Highway 85 in Riverdale, south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The two children were returned to their parents unharmed, Patterson said.