Illinois woman charged in baby daughter's suffocation death
Photos courtesy of Eric Cox / KMOV
ALORTON, Ill. (AP) - A southern Illinois woman has been charged in the death of her 6-month-old daughter who authorities say suffocated last month.
Authorities say 35-year-old Kimberly A. Jenkins of Alorton was charged Monday with endangering the life of a child causing death. St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye says the autopsy of baby Mariah McCorkle found she died from asphyxiation. The baby died May 22 at an East St. Louis hospital.
According to court documents Jenkins was under the influence of alcohol when she fell asleep on a couch with the child, which was the proximate cause of the baby's death. Jenkins was not in custody. There is a warrant out for her arrest. Her bail was set at $50,000.
Alorton Police Chief Dave Clark says Jenkins has other children and authorities are looking into their well-being.