A 7-month-old boy died after being found unresponsive inside a home on Indianapolis' east side, and now his mother faces a Level 1 felony charge that could send her to prison for decades. Nasha Lavette Williams is accused of leaving the baby unattended on a couch before he was discovered not breathing on April 22, with a warrant now out for her arrest.
Police were called to the 1400 block of South Bancroft Street, near Emerson and Southeastern avenues, after a neighbor dialed 911, according to WTHR. Officers arrived to find the child in Williams' arms and attempted lifesaving measures before he was transported to Riley Hospital for Children in critical condition. The baby was later taken off life support.
According to the station's report, Williams told officers she had placed the baby on the couch, gone upstairs to fold laundry, and later found him unresponsive — rolled onto his left side, not moving, with a blanket around his face wedged between a pillow and a couch cushion. She said she had propped up the baby, one of twins, using a pillow and had given him a bottle.
Conflicting Accounts of How Long the Baby Was Alone
Williams gave officers differing accounts of how long the child had been left alone, per the same account. At one point she said the baby may have been unattended for about an hour and a half because she was talking to neighbors outside; at another point she said he was alone for only seven to eight minutes. She also told police she allegedly forgot the baby was on the couch.
Phone GPS data reportedly showed Williams was primarily outside the residence from 4 p.m. until 6:45 p.m., and the article notes the baby was left unattended on the couch sometime after 5 p.m. until around 6:45 p.m. Williams had returned home around 3 p.m. after taking her five children — all age 3 or younger — to a store, then said she spent about an hour cleaning out her car while the baby remained in his car seat. She told police she took the twins inside around 5 p.m. and admitted to drinking while sitting outside with her older children. A neighbor was reportedly outside with Williams for a few minutes before the two went inside and discovered the baby was not breathing.
Blood-Alcohol Level Nearly Double the Legal Limit
Officers drew Williams' blood around 1:50 a.m., and according to the affidavit cited by WTHR, her blood-alcohol concentration measured 0.159% hours after the incident — nearly double Indiana's legal limit. Williams told police she had drunk around half a pint of Jose Cuervo tequila. Under Indiana Code § 9-30-5-1, the legal blood-alcohol threshold for intoxication is 0.08%, according to the Arnold Law Office, and BAC levels typically decline over time following consumption — meaning her level at the moment she was with the children could have been higher still.
An autopsy report listed the baby's cause of death as unexplained sudden death with extrinsic factors identified, and the manner of death as undetermined. Williams is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, along with neglect of a dependent for placing a dependent in a situation endangering them.
Decades in Prison at Stake Under Indiana Law
Neglect of a dependent resulting in death is a Level 1 felony in Indiana, the most serious felony classification below murder, carrying a sentencing range of 20 to 40 years and an advisory sentence of 30 years, according to FindLaw. The lesser endangerment count, a Level 6 felony, carries a range of six months to two and a half years, according to Keffer Hirschauer LLP. Both charges also carry fines of up to $10,000. Online court records show a warrant remains outstanding for Williams' arrest.
A Local and Statewide Pattern of Unsafe Sleep Deaths
The case lands in a county already grappling with troubling infant mortality figures. Marion County recorded an infant mortality rate of 8.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, roughly 50% higher than the national rate, according to Mirror Indy's review of Cradle Indy's July 2026 Maternal & Infant Health Report. Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths, which include accidental sleep suffocation and positional asphyxia, accounted for about 17% of all infant deaths in the county in 2023, per the Marion County Public Health Department.
Statewide, suffocation from unsafe sleep environments ranks as the third leading cause of death overall for infants in Indiana, according to data from the Indiana Department of Health cited by WFYI. In August 2025, the state health department issued a public safety alert after more than 10 infants died in unsafe sleep environments in a single month, far exceeding the state's typical average of about two such deaths per week.
Research published in the journal Pediatrics and released by Children's National Hospital found that sleeping on adult sofas and couches raises an infant's risk of sleep-related death by 49% to 67%, largely due to wedging and cushion suffocation. Riley Children's Health, the Indianapolis hospital that treated the baby, urges parents to follow the “ABCs” of safe sleep — Alone, on their Back, and in a Crib — and notes that at least one infant dies every week in Indiana due to bed-sharing or unsafe sleep setups.
Indiana Department of Child Services data from its 2023 Annual Report of Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities found that 68% of children who died from caregiver maltreatment or neglect statewide were age 3 or younger, with biological parents identified as perpetrators in 86% of cases. It remains unclear whether the Department of Child Services had prior contact with Williams' family or what has become of her four surviving children, all under the age of 3.
