Mackenzie Katlyn Reed’s baby died in 2022 while cos-sleeping with her, and then another baby died the following year in a similar fashion, police said. (Mug shot: New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office)

Young siblings died in back-to-back years while co-sleeping with their mother, Mackenzie Katlyn Reed, 24, according to cops in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Now, after the second death, this parent is charged with involuntary manslaughter, child abuse resulting in serious injury, and child abuse/neglect resulting in serious physical injury.

She is in custody at the New Hanover County Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond, records show.

“The incident occurred on October 3rd, 2023, shortly after 2:30 a.m.,” deputies wrote of the second death. “Officers responded to the 800 block of Castle Street for an unconscious infant who was not breathing. First responders were not able to revive the infant, and the infant passed away. During the investigation, it was discovered that the infant’s mother, Mackenzie Reed, was co-sleeping with the infant and during the night she suffocated her child.”

Cops determined, however, that she lost another child in a similar fashion.

“The year prior, in 2022, Reed had another child who died that she had been co-sleeping with as well,” they wrote. “These charges come as a result of an in-depth investigation and hard work by the Wilmington Police Department Special Victims Unit in conjunction with the New Hanover County District Attorney.”

Police Lt. Greg Willett told Law&Crime that her boyfriend woke up Reed.

“We found evidence of marijuana use, edible and smoking it,” he wrote, adding that a “similar thing happened with a previous infant and her the year prior in 2022. That incident did not rise to the level of any sort of crime; however, this incident did, and the fact that it had occurred only a year prior factored into this incident.”

Experts agree that sleeping in the same bed as a baby is dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against bed-sharing and says sharing a room is far safer.

“Accidental suffocation or strangulation can happen when a baby is sleeping in an adult bed or other unsafe sleep surfaces,” the officials wrote. “Sharing a room with your baby is much safer than bed sharing and may decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. Also, placing the crib close to your bed so that the baby is within view and reach can also help make it easier to feed, comfort, and monitor your baby.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics says much the same: keep the baby nearby on a surface meant for the child, but do not share a bed. Sharing a room but sleeping on separate surfaces can decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by as much as 50%, they wrote in a 2022 policy statement.

“In addition, this arrangement is most likely to prevent suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment that may occur when the infant is sleeping in the adult bed,” the group wrote.

“The AAP understands and respects that many parents choose to routinely bed share for a variety of reasons, including facilitation of breastfeeding, cultural preferences, and a belief that it is better and safer for their infant,” they wrote. “However, on the basis of the evidence, the AAP is unable to recommend bed sharing under any circumstances. Having the infant close by their bedside in a crib or bassinet will allow parents to feed, comfort, and respond to their infant’s needs.”