Child suffocated after father's night of drinking

2/27/2007

NEWPORT, Mich. Monroe County sheriff's detectives said today the infant who died Sunday morning at the Frenchtown Villa mobile home community was suffocated after his father fell asleep next to him and pinned him against the side of a sofa.

Ethan Maxwell Aldridge, 1 1/2 months old, was pronounced dead at Mercy Memorial Hospital.

"The child's mother and father had been out drinking for the night. The father returned home. The mother stayed with a friend for the night," said Detective Joe Hammond. "The father fell asleep on the couch with the child on top of his chest. During the tossing and turning between the two of them that night, the child became pinned between him and the couch."

When the father woke up, he saw his son's lips were blue and called 911, Detective Hammond said.

Detective Hammond said the names of the parents will not be made public until after the prosecutor's office reviews the case and decides whether or not to press charges.

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