In Jackson, a young mother is at the center of a heartbreaking and highly charged criminal case after losing two infants while co-sleeping, the most recent death now tied to felony charges. Prosecutors say Larissa Jasmin Vanover’s infant daughter died in November when an adult slept on top of the baby, causing compression asphyxiation. Vanover is currently free on a $10,000 personal-recognizance bond, and a district judge is weighing whether the case should move to circuit court after a preliminary examination in late April. The double tragedy has stirred up fresh debate locally over bed-sharing, safe-sleep advice, and where the line falls between accident and crime.
According to MLive, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged Vanover on Feb. 19 with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of second-degree child abuse, and presented evidence at a preliminary examination on April 29. Prosecutors told the court they would argue Vanover’s conduct was “grossly negligent” because she continued to sleep with the child after an earlier infant death in her care, the outlet reports. Defense attorney Alfred Brandt objected to sending the case to circuit court, according to testimony cited in the same report.
What the charges mean
Under Michigan law, involuntary manslaughter is a felony that can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, according to Michigan Courts. Penalties for child-abuse offenses vary depending on the statute and the specific facts of the case, and judges generally have discretion to decide whether any prison terms run at the same time or back-to-back. A preliminary examination does not decide guilt or innocence; it simply tests whether there is probable cause to send a felony case up to circuit court.
Autopsy, testimony and earlier loss
MLive reports that the baby at the center of the current case, Novella Erickson, was born Oct. 21, 2025, and was pronounced dead less than a month later on Nov. 17, 2025. An autopsy cited at the preliminary hearing concluded she died from compression asphyxiation that occurred when an adult slept on her. Detective Mark Easter testified that Vanover told investigators Novella “usually slept in the bed with her,” and Dr. Bernardino Pacris detailed the autopsy findings in court. The same report notes that a child-protective-services investigator testified that the 2021 death of another infant in Vanover’s care, Amiriana Payne, had previously been ruled accidental.
What experts say about bed-sharing
National medical guidance continues to draw a firm distinction between sharing a room with an infant and sharing a bed. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ updated safe-sleep policy recommends that babies sleep on a firm, separate surface in the same room as their caregivers, and warns that bed-sharing on adult beds or soft furniture raises the risk of suffocation and other sleep-related deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs those recommendations and offers educational resources that stress safer sleep practices. Public-health officials point out that the danger is especially great for very young infants and in homes where adults smoke or use alcohol or other substances that can deepen or disrupt sleep.
What’s next in court
Judge Robert K. Gaecke Jr. of the 12th District Court is expected to decide tomorrow whether to bind Vanover’s case over to circuit court. If he does, she would then be formally arraigned on the felony charges at the higher court level, and a trial schedule would be set, according to the court calendar and reporting in the case. The judge’s ruling, along with the preliminary exam transcript, will help determine what evidence can be used at trial and whether prosecutors move forward as charged. For now, the community and the family are waiting for that decision while health officials keep pointing parents back to the same safe-sleep guidance that has been circulating for years.
The case represents a rare and deeply painful route from a sleep-related infant death into a criminal courtroom in this area, and it has prompted renewed calls from health workers and child-welfare agencies for clearer, more persistent outreach about how and where babies sleep. As the legal process plays out, local and national organizations continue to push out resources for new parents on creating safer sleep environments, even as this family’s losses remain at the center of a high-stakes prosecution.
