Iowa Parents Charged After Medics Make Tragic Find in Baby’s Swing

Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office

An Iowa couple was charged with murder in the death of their 4-month-old son, whose body was found in a swing at the family’s home.

Cheyanne Harris, 20, and Zachary Koehn, 28, were arrested this week and charged with child endangerment and first-degree murder in the death of their son, Sterling Koehn, CBS reported.

The boy had likely been dead in the swing for more than a week, the report said. Medics were called to the couple’s Alta Vista apartment on Aug. 30 and made the gruesome discovery.

“The cause of death was a failure to provide critical care,” a court complaint stated.

“The facts of this case go far beyond neglect and show circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life.”

The boy was found in a powered/swing seat in a different bedroom from where the couple and the other child slept, WHO-TV reported. The child was underweight, and a forensic entomologist discovered the baby “had not had a diaper change, bath, or been removed from the seat in over a week.” The medics also discovered the presence of maggots.

It started after an ambulance was called to the couple’s home after Koehn called to report that his son had died—just a few hours after he claimed Harris fed the child.

They’re being held in jail on $100,000 bond.

The couple’s next court date is Nov. 2.