Baby dies after rolling onto plastic bag in middle of night, sheriff says

HOUSTON – A 3-month-old boy suffocated Christmas Eve after rolling onto a plastic bag in the middle of the night, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 4:30 a.m. at a home on Shottery Drive near Wallisville Road and Beltway 8.

According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the boy’s grandmother, who is in her late 30s or early 40s, was watching him while his mother worked the nightshift at a nearby restaurant. She had placed the child on the floor to sleep, but the child’s aunt later moved him to a mattress in a bedroom, Gonzalez said.

As the family slept, the child rolled off the mattress and landed on a plastic shopping bag that was on the floor, Gonzalez said.

The sheriff said an investigation is underway, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at the scene.

“You hate to see these types of tragedies,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said investigators will review the autopsy report and determine whether anyone should be charged in connection with the child’s death.