A 25-year-old Florida woman faces a charge of aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 18-day-old baby.
The incident was the second time Erin Piche-Pitts woke up to find that her newborn baby had died in her bed.
According to WFTS, Piche-Pitts took her newborn out of a bassinet Oct. 6, when she heard the baby crying. Piche-Pitts fell asleep with the baby in her arms.
When she woke up hours later, the infant was dead. This is the second time this had happened.
The first time was in December 2009, when Piche-Pitts fell asleep while breastfeeding her 13-day-old infant.
The baby was asphyxiated. It was ruled that the cause of death was "due to probable overlay and co-sleeping." It was ruled an accidental death.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Piche-Pitts has been arrested at least nine other times for crimes including battery domestic violence, aggravated battery, larceny and possession of meth.
Since the October incident was the second case in which Piche-Pitts was responsible for the death of a newborn, she was charged with aggravated manslaughter.
The Polk County Sheriff’'s Office said that because Piche-Pitts received "multiple warnings on the dangers of co-sleeping and multiple face-to-face counseling sessions" after the first death, there was probable cause to charge her.
"This lady doesn't get it," Sheriff Grady Judd said, according to WTVT. "This is a very, very sad situation that these children died."
Sheriff Grady Judd said Piche-Pitts was warned and counseled multiple times about the potential dangers of co-sleeping prior to the death of her second child. Police said Piche-Pitts assured her doctor she would not co-sleep with her newborn.
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