A Minneapolis father is facing a manslaughter charge after his 9-day-old son was found unresponsive following an overnight feeding, according to court records. Prosecutors say the infant was discovered not breathing and later pronounced dead at a hospital, with a criminal complaint pointing to conflicting statements from the parents and surveillance footage that did not match the father's original story.
According to KSTP, 20-year-old Kylen George Johnson Allen has been charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter after Minneapolis police were called to the 2600 block of Golden Valley Road on Nov. 1. Officers arrived to find a 9-day-old baby in an ambulance receiving CPR. The station reports that a criminal complaint alleges Allen first told officers he had left the infant with a neighbor, but later admitted he had been feeding the baby at about 3 a.m., propping the child in a U-shaped nursing pillow and wrapping a towel around the baby's head to hold a bottle in place before he fell asleep. The Hennepin County medical examiner listed the cause of death as "undetermined" but said positional asphyxia from the pillow could not be ruled out, according to the complaint.
Unsafe Sleep Practices And The Evidence
Pediatric specialists and public-health researchers have long warned that propping bottles and leaving infants on soft, contoured cushions can block tiny airways in a matter of minutes. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that babies sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface and specifically cautions against using pillows, wedges, and sleep positioners such as U-shaped nursing pillows. Studies have repeatedly identified nursing and U-shaped pillows in sleep-related infant death investigations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 3,500 infants in the United States die each year from sleep-related causes.
Legal Stakes In Minnesota
Allen is charged under Minnesota's second-degree manslaughter statute, which defines the felony as causing a death through culpable negligence. The law allows for a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. Court documents state that Allen and the baby's mother have another child who is not in their custody due to earlier concerns involving head trauma. As the case moves through Hennepin County court, prosecutors will be required to prove culpable negligence - that Allen created an unreasonable risk and consciously took chances with the infant's safety.
State Guidance And Local Resources
State health officials continue to press the "ABCs" of safe sleep - Alone, Back, Crib - noting that most sudden unexpected infant deaths in Minnesota occur in unsafe sleep environments. The Minnesota Department of Health and partner organizations operate education efforts and crib-distribution programs that aim to help families set up safer sleep spaces for their babies.
