A Pennsylvania man was taken into custody on Monday, facing charges related to his 8-week-old son’s passing, nearly three years after the death was initially attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Robert Jenkins faces charges of misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter, misdemeanor reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony aggravated assault, and felony endangering the welfare of children, cited by the Altoona Police Department.
Authorities report they first arrived at the home on September 5, 2022, finding the infant deceased. Jenkins reportedly told them he had placed the baby on a couch pillow where the child dozed off, and he too fell asleep, waking roughly an hour later to discover the baby unresponsive and blue.
The initial examination and autopsy pointed to SIDS as the cause of death, but subsequent toxicology findings revealed the child had a blood alcohol level of 0.149 and methamphetamine presence. These new results indicated the baby died due to alcohol poisoning.
Per WJAC, Jenkins refuted methamphetamine usage, accusing the baby’s mother—who was barred by a “no contact” order—of “breaking into the residence” to administer alcohol to the child. The investigation concluded that the mother was not present at Jenkins’ location, and medical experts asserted that the alcohol must have been ingested shortly before the baby’s unresponsive state to explain the level of intoxication.
Jenkins also alleged that his sister, a drug user, possibly transferred drug residues to the baby. However, investigators established that his sister had been sober for a significant period.
The Altoona Mirror reported that investigators found drug paraphernalia consistent with use of methamphetamines at the home, and a message on Jenkins’ Facebook Messenger account asking an acquaintance if he had “any up,” a common term used for meth.
After a lengthy investigation, detectives “determined that Jenkins was the sole adult present at the residence at the time of the incident and the only individual that could’ve administered the fatal dose of alcohol.”
He was arrested on Monday and ordered held on a $100,000 cash bail at the Blair County Prison.
