Parents arrested after mother tried to blame four-week-old baby’s alcohol poisoning death on breastfeeding

The parents have been charged with murder

(PAULDING COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

A pair of young parents in suburban Atlanta has been charged with murder after their four-week old baby died of alcohol poisoning last Thursday.

The baby was brought unresponsive to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta last week, suffering from the effects of the alcohol poisoning, which prompted hospital staff to call law enforcement.

Sydnei Dunn, 24, reportedly told authorities that the child may have gotten alcohol poisoning from her breastfeeding as she had consumed a substantial amount of alcohol the previous day, but then said that the child’s father may have put alcohol in the child’s bottle.

“Deputies were contacted by authorities at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) on April 13, 2022 at approximately 3:30 PM reference a four week old infant who was brought to the hospital by its parents and was unresponsive,” the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“CHOA officials stated that the circumstances surrounding the child’s condition did not make sense and sounded as if they needed to be looked into by law enforcement. When Detectives arrived at CHOA, they met with medical professionals about the condition of the child. Detectives then began speaking with Sydnei Dunn and Marquis Colvin, who are the parents of the child, about the incident. Initially, Dunn stated that she had consumed a large quantity of alcohol the day before and that the child must have gotten alcohol poisoning from her while she was breast-feeding. She then indicated that the child’s father put alcohol in the baby’s bottle. Once the child was unresponsive, she explained that is when they took the baby to the hospital,” the statement continued.

Ms Dunn and Marquis Colvin, 25, were arrested by the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office the day the baby died and charged with malice murder, second-degree murder, first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct. Mr Colvin is also being charged with a parole violation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Doctors further advised that the child had a quantity of alcohol in its system that was well over four times the legal limit for an adult,” the sheriff’s office said.