An Indiana mother has been arrested and charged with homicide after a second baby died when she fell asleep while breastfeeding.
Aaliyah Lykins, 21, has been charged with reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent, according to court records. If convicted on both counts, Lykins faces up to eight years in prison.
On the morning of Oct. 9, 2023, police and firefighters responded to an emergency call at Lykins’ home in Muncie, and encountered a baby who was “limp with no signs of respiration.”
According to an affidavit, Lykins told first responders that she had been breastfeeding her daughter when she fell asleep.
“Oh, no, I did it again,” the mother told EMS personnel, according to the affidavit.
First responders attempted to resuscitate the 2-week-old baby, and then the infant was rushed to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“Aaliyah Lykins was fully aware of the danger of co-sleeping with her infant … as she had a prior born child die while co-sleeping,” the affidavit reads, according to the Kansas City Star.
In 2020, another one of Lykins’ children reportedly died in the same manner.
She fell asleep with her 7-week-old son and he too died.
According to the affidavit, Lykins told police officers at the time “that she should not have placed (her son) in bed with her, and that she knew it was wrong.”
Lykins was not charged with any crimes in connection with her son’s death in 2020.
According to Law & Crime, Lykins has a criminal record that includes battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman and neglect of a dependent in January 2021, neglect of a dependent and leaving the scene of an accident after crashing into an unattended car in November 2021, and using a computer network or other form of electronic communication for harassment in February 2023.
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