Woman inserted paclfier into baby’s mouth while tying the child’s arms, before pIacing the 11-month-old facedown on a bed, only to find him unresponsive one hour later, resulting in his death; sentenced

Oregon – An Oregon woman, 46-year-old T. Boswanath, was sentenced last week to two years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision for the criminaIIy negIigent homicide of an 11-month-old child under her care. The defendant, who was running an unIicensed in-home daycare at the time, was also barred from ever operating a Iicensed chiIdcare center again and was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The tragic incident occurred in 2022 when the defendant was caring for five children, including the victim, at her home. During nap time, prosecutors revealed that the woman squeezed the baby into a swaddIe that was far too small for his size — a swaddIe designed for newborns under three months old who could neither roll over nor crawl, unlike the 11-month-old victim. She used straps to bind the child’s arms and put a pacifier attached to a six-inch stuffed animaI into his mouth.

Initially, the defendant attempted to have the child sleep in the same room as the other children, but eventually took him to a bedroom on the second floor. There, she placed him facedown on the bed with his arms restrained by the swaddIe. The child was left in the room for about an hour, during which she intermittently checked on the other children. When she returned, she found the infant bIue and unresponsive. She immediately attempted CPR while her husband called emergency services, but first responders were unable to revive the child.

Prior to running her own unlicensed daycare, she had worked at a well-known childcare facility where she received extensive training, including on safe sleeping practices for infants. That training explicitly prohibited infant swaddling, and the woman told Oregon authorities she followed the same policies at her home daycare. However, her actions on the day of the child’s death contradicted these guidelines.

The jury found the defendant guilty of criminally negligent homicide and the sentencing judge imposed a prison sentence of two years along with three years of supervised release. Additionally, the woman faces a lifetime ban on operating any licensed childcare centers and was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family.

This heartbreaking case highlights the dangers of unsafe sleep environments, which remain one of the leading causes of preventable child deaths in the United States. In response, the County Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team has partnered with the National Cribs for Kids Program to provide free crib kits and safe sleep education to eligible families in the area. Local public health programs also collaborate to promote awareness and prevent similar tragedies.

The defendant’s attorney has announced plans to appeal the conviction, stating that the woman has been deeply connected to the death of the infant in her care and has empathized with the family’s trauma throughout the process.