A 1-year-old baby has died in New York after his father attempted to treat a chronic cough by leaving the child in a steamy bathroom.
Mordechai Halpern, of Brooklyn, New York, was found unresponsive at his parents’ home on Thursday morning after his mother discovered him alone in a bathroom at the residence.
According to WPIX, Mordechai's father attempted to cure the boy's bronchitis early Thursday by giving him a mixture of lemon, sugar and water. When that didn't work, the father put the baby in a stroller in the bathroom, where he turned on hot shower water, hoping it would act as a humidifier.
The 27-year-old father covered the child with a blanket, left the bathroom and went to sleep, according to the New York Daily News.
About an hour and a half later, an alarm set for 5 a.m. woke Mordechai’s mother, who found the child unresponsive.
The boy was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
At the time of death, Mordechai’s body temperature was 108 degrees, the Daily News reported.
Police said there were no visible signs of trauma, WPIX reported.
Sources said police do not believe Mordechai’s father meant to harm him.
The medical examiner will determine his cause of death.
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