Parents charged with neglect leading to death after 2-week-old found not breathing, police say

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - Two Indiana parents are in jail after officers were called to help with an infant who wasn’t breathing.

Officers went to a home in Evansville just before 7 a.m. Wednesday for a nearly 2-week-old baby who was not breathing.

Authorities say Evansville fire crews and AMR were already on scene trying to resuscitate the child.

However, they say they couldn’t get the baby, named Wade Wilson, to start breathing again, according to WFIE.

Officers received a warrant and say they found evidence of narcotic use, including what appeared to be narcotics and paraphernalia in the home.

They also say the home had no running water and conditions were unfavorable.

Detectives spoke with the mother of the infant, Taylor Smith. She told them that she went to sleep with her child around 2 a.m. and woke up with the baby underneath her.

The father, Timothy Wilson, was also at the home.

According to a press release, Wilson told detectives that Taylor Smith was ordered by the Department of Child Services not to be around the child due to a prior investigation.

“They made a determination as a family to disobey that order. That was probably not the best course of action as we now know we have a child that’s no longer with us,” said Evansville Police Assistant Chief Philip Smith.

Police say Wilson ignored the order “to be a family.”

Both Taylor Smith and Wilson were arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

An autopsy for the baby is set for Thursday.