MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man is being charged after being drunk, and negligently putting his infant son to sleep next to him a year ago, ultimately causing the child's death, according to charges.
Gabriel T. Farnsworth, 36, is being charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter in relation to the death of his eight-week-old son on Oct. 30, 2018.
Police received a call requesting assistance at a residence on the 4100 block of 31st Avenue South at around 6:04 a.m.
When police arrived, they spoke to Farnsworth who handed the infant to an officer and said "it's dead."
Farnsworth told police he placed the baby in bed with him at 4 a.m., and when he woke up two hours later, the baby was not breathing.
First responders attempted to revive the baby but were unable to. The baby was transported to the Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Farnsworth's wife was out of town and he was the sole caretaker while she was gone.
Police said that while the defendant seemed distraught, he also appeared to be intoxicated.
The defendant passed out in the squad car and was taken to HCMC for treatment for suspected acute intoxication.
Police obtained a warrant for a blood sample from Farnsworth and found his blood alcohol concentration was 0.32, approximately three hours after the 911 call.
Police also obtained a warrant to search the home and found beer cans in various rooms and a 750 ml bottle of whiskey, which was "almost completely gone," authorities said.
Farnsworth's wife returned and told police she spoke with him at 1 a.m. and was later unable to communicate with him. She asked a neighbor to check in on Farnsworth at around 5:45 a.m.
The Medical Examiner was unable to determine a cause of death but said that unsafe sleep was a contributing factor. A number of findings consistent with positional asphyxia are stated in the autopsy.
