A North Dakota couple was arrested last week, a year after their 3-month-old son reportedly died in deplorable conditions.

In July 2024, Fargo police were called to the home of Nikolas and Alie Shearer after a distressing report from Nikolas Shearer, 25, that his son had stopped breathing. Responding officers from KVLY observed that the home was so cluttered with trash it hindered their ability to reach the deceased infant.

The house was reportedly permeated by the stench of spoiled food, and the deceased child was found in a diaper soiled with feces and urine while flies buzzed around it, as detailed by KLVY.

Nikolas Shearer allegedly informed the police that his wife had given their baby a bottle on the couch, propping it up with a blanket. They claimed to have discovered their son’s lifeless form hours afterward.

After the infant’s passing, the Shearers’ other children, aged 1 and 2, were taken into protective custody. The 1-year-old tested positive for methamphetamine through a hair follicle test, although the two other children had negative test results.

An autopsy revealed the 3-month-old’s death was classified as “unexplained sudden infant death with intrinsic factors,” and the manner of death remains undetermined. Even though he tested negative for methamphetamine, a toxicology report showed traces of caffeine and cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, according to Inforum.

Nikolas and Alie Shearer, 23, are charged with  child neglect. They are due in court on October 1.

[Feature Photo: Cass County jail]