The incident took place at a Jadestone apartment complex in West Houston, Texas.
The 6-month-old was unresponsive when firefighters and police were called to the family’s home around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Police told ABC13 that the boy’s father placed the 6-month-old in his crib and put his older 2-year-old in a separate bed.
But when the father checked on the boys half an hour later, he found both of them inside the infant’s crib.
Apparently, the older child climbed in so he could sleep with his younger brother. Police believe the younger baby was somehow smothered as they both slept.
No further details on the identity of the family members have yet been released.
The medical examiner will perform an autopsy later to determine the exact cause of death. But since the infant was so young, it could take some time before the official cause of death is determined.
Chelsea Love, 24, had just taken her newborn son, Leo, out of his bouncy chair after she noticed he was falling asleep.
An hour later, she was frantically woken up by Leo’s father, Sam Coles, who noticed their son had changed color.
Leo was rushed to the Hull Royal Infirmary, where the doctors desperately tried to save him. They managed to restart his heart and transferred the baby to Leeds hospital for specialist treatment.
During treatment, CT scans showed Leo had suffered extensive brain damage and would never recover. He died on Oct. 26, 2016, after his parents made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support.
A year later, Love said she would like to share her story with other mothers to raise awareness about the dangers of co-sleeping with a newborn infant.