Parents arrested over death of 3-month-old son 2 years after their infant daughter also died
Authorities have arrested a Utah couple after their three-month-old son was found dead. Two years before, the couple's infant daughter also died.
Citing police affidavits and court records, PEOPLE reported that Nicholas Patrick Romero, 40, and Christina Joy Patton, 39, were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Oct. 7 on suspected child abuse homicide.
Earlier that day, authorities responded to a call about an unresponsive infant at the parents' home. Per a police affidavit, officers found the baby with "pink-colored fluid" coming out of his nose and mouth.
In the affidavit, officers also wrote there were several empty alcohol bottles by the baby's sleeping area. Elsewhere in the residence were items that looked like drug paraphernalia.
Narrating the events to police, Romero and Patton said they drank alcohol before sleeping the night of Oct. 6. They placed their child in bed with them.
Patton admitted to police that she also took her prescribed medication. Upon their arrest, Patton registered a 0.011 blood alcohol level, while Romero refused a preliminary breath test, said the news outlets.
At around 1:30 a.m., Patton said the baby began crying so she took him from the pillow he was sleeping on, unwrapped him from his swaddle, and placed him on her chest, at which point both of them fell back to sleep.
At around 5:15 a.m. on Oct. 7, Romero woke up to get ready for work. He said he saw the baby near Patton. He attempted to wake the baby up but noticed he was unresponsive, which was when he called 911.
Although life-saving measures were given at the scene, authorities pronounced the baby dead.
This was the second infant death for Patton and Romero. In October 2024, per KUTV, their infant daughter also passed away. According to the baby's obituary, she was born with several medical complications, including a recessed jaw and a cleft palate. She also needed a feeding tube, reported KUTV.
The daughter's cause of death was not established then, and it is still a pending case, though court records don't say whether the parents were charged in connection with that incident.
