Baby Left To Sleep In Car Seat Inside Storage Room Dies; Parents Arrested

Las Cruces, New Mexico -- A couple has been arrested in New Mexico over the death of their 8-month-old baby, who was left to sleep in a car seat inside a storage room.

Officers said Brianna Garcia, 21, and her husband, Jasper Garcia-Montaño, 28, were living in a mobile home in Las Cruces with two other children, aged 3 and 2, when the incident took place.

Deputies with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office arrived at the house around noon on July 9 after a 911 call from the couple's residence reported a baby who was not breathing. First responders tried to revive the infant, identified as 8-month-old Germiah, according to Las Cruces Sun-News.

The baby was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead at around 3 p.m. on the same day.

The married couple initially claimed that they put Germiah to sleep in the children's bedroom between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on July 8. They later changed their story while talking to investigators, saying the baby was placed in an "infant only seat" that was kept in a storage room for the night.

Apart from the storage room, the mobile house also had two other bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room, CBS4 Local reported.

According to the parents, the baby would only sleep if he was placed in the car seat. Garcia also told investigators that she recently stopped putting Germiah in the seat because she feared the straps were too tight for him to breathe properly. However, she noted that the baby was strapped into the seat the night before he passed away.

Investigators also found that the storage room, where the infant spent the night, was stuffy and "significantly" warmer than the rest of the house.

Garcia-Montaño then said he got out of bed at around 8 a.m. on July 9 and gave Germiah a bottle. He went back to sleep afterward, he told investigators.

The couple disclosed that they slept until 1 p.m. before finally checking on Germiah. But when they found the infant, he was reportedly foaming at his mouth and turning purple. The pair also claimed that they took their unresponsive baby to a neighbor and asked them to perform CPR on him.

Deputies arrested Garcia and Garcia-Montaño on the evening of July 9. They appeared in court Monday and did not enter any pleas.

The couple remained in custody Monday evening.

The two other children in the house have been placed in the custody of the Children Youth and Families Department, according to KVIA ABC-7 News.

Meanwhile, investigators are waiting for the deceased baby's autopsy results for further proceedings.

"This is an ongoing and complex investigation, and charges could be added or amended at a later time," officials said in a news release, as per the outlet.