Baby Was Found Dead While Wedged Between Mattress and Couch Cushions, and Parents Face Charges

Two Georgia parents have been arrested on charges of murder after their 8-month-old infant died from suffocation after allegedly rolling off a mattress and becoming “wedged” between the mattress and a couch cushion.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Kiara Davis, 27, and Miguel Badillo, 24, were charged with second-degree murder, second-degree child cruelty and possession of drug related objects.

Columbus police officers responded to the couple’s home on Sept. 27, 2024.

“Detectives executed a search warrant on the residence and learned that the infant had been placed on an angled mattress on a loveseat, with no safety measures in place to prevent the infant from rolling off and becoming wedged between the mattress and couch cushions,” according to a Columbus Police Department press release posted on Facebook on Thursday, Nov. 14.

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At a court hearing on Friday, Nov. 15, Columbus Police Department investigators told a judge that the child died from asphyxiation while her mother was outside talking to a friend, WTVM reported.

The couple’s landlord, Howard Turner, described the parents as “very caring of that baby on what I could tell,” reports WTMV. “It was just like a freak accident.”

Davis and Badillo have yet to enter a plea or retain attorneys.  

They are currently being held in Muscogee County Jail.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.