Inset: Quinzena Rancefer (Fort Wayne Police Department). Background: The Allen County Jail in Fort Wayne, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indiana mother has been sentenced after falling asleep with her 2-month-old daughter on a couch, leaving the baby trapped beneath a cushion and unable to breathe.
Quinzena Rancefer, 31, received a 10-year prison sentence, although three years were suspended, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Rancefer pleaded guilty earlier this year to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. Her plea eliminated the need for the jury trial that had been scheduled in the case.
The incident occurred on March 25, 2024, at Rancefer’s home in Fort Wayne. She and her infant daughter were on a couch when Rancefer fell asleep.
Rancefer told investigators that her daughter typically slept in a nearby bassinet. On that night, however, she placed the baby between herself and the back of the couch, saying she wanted to prevent the child from falling, Fort Wayne ABC and NBC affiliate WPTA reported.
Rancefer’s cousin apparently arrived at the apartment and found the infant “face down and lying mostly underneath the couch cushion.”
Rancefer was reportedly sleeping so deeply that her cousin had to strike her several times before she woke. The cousin then realized the baby was not breathing.
Authorities said Rancefer eventually woke up and became “hysterical” when she saw that her daughter was unresponsive.
The Fort Wayne Police Department responded to the residence after receiving a report that a young child was in critical condition. Emergency personnel pronounced the girl dead at the scene. Officials determined that she died from asphyxia caused by overlay and wedging.
After obtaining a search warrant, police investigators said they found a glass pipe containing burnt residue, a torch lighter, suspected marijuana and prescription pills inside the apartment. Authorities also said an oral drug test administered to Rancefer came back positive for methamphetamine.
A case manager with the Indiana Department of Child Services additionally determined that the baby had been exposed to drugs and had THC in her system.
The post Woman learns her fate for falling asleep with her 2-month-old daughter in her arms, causing the child to be “wedged” underneath first appeared on Law & Crime.
