Baby Suffocated in Couch Cushions Under Weight of Her Sleeping Father, Who Drank 10 'Tall Boys': Police

Faith Hope Roldan was only 6 months old when she was allegedly smothered to death when her parents became intoxicated and fell asleep, say authorities

A Michigan couple is charged with involuntary manslaughter after allegedly smothering their 6-month-old daughter who became wedged in the couch while they were intoxicated, authorities said.

On Wednesday, Jose Antonio Roldan Jr., 40, and Ladesha Ann Powe, 29, appeared in court via Zoom after being charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse, local news outlet WOOD-TV reports.

The couple allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana while caring for their daughter Faith Hope Roldan in December 2023, court documents state, according to Fox 17.

Police were called to the couple’s home on Davis Street in Kalamazoo at about 8 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2023, about a report of a baby who wasn’t breathing, WOOD-TV reports.

Roldan allegedly told police he fell asleep on the couch in the living room with the baby next to him, a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox 17 says. When he woke up, he found the 6-month-old wedged between the seat and the back cushion and unresponsive.

He woke up Powe, the baby’s mother, and called 911.

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The baby was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Roldan allegedly told police he drank about nine or 10 “tall boys” or 25-ounce cans of alcoholic beverages, the court documents show, WWMT reports. Powe said she drank five alcoholic beverages. They both smoked marijuana, the documents reportedly state.

Police found footage from video cameras inside the home allegedly showing the couple drinking in the living room the night before, the affidavit says, Fox 17 reports.

Roldan can be seen laying down on the couch. Powe was sitting at the end of the couch holding the baby.

She is seen falling asleep, the documents state. The baby can be seen falling out of her arms and becoming wedged between her father and the back cushion of the couch, the affidavit says.

Powe allegedly told police that she was "far gone, wasted maybe, like very, very wasted," when she fell asleep with her daughter in her arms, WWMT reports.

While Roldan was sleeping, he moved, smothering the baby, who is seen kicking her feet and crying before becoming still, the court documents state, WWMT reports.

Powe can be seen in the video footage waking up, looking for the baby and then heading to the bedroom, where she stays the rest of the night, the documents state, WWMT reports.

The medical examiner ruled the baby’s cause of death mechanical asphyxia and the manner of death homicide.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said in court, WOOD reports. “It’s something that was completely unnecessary. It should have never happened.

“They both were in a position where they were responsible for caring for this young child,” he said. “They failed in that regard in a grossly negligent way.”

They are each being held on $100,000 bonds. It is unclear whether they have entered pleas or if they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.

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