KALAMAZOO, MI – A Michigan couple faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse following the suffocation of their 6-month-old daughter. It is alleged that while intoxicated, the couple fell asleep, and their baby was wedged in the couch and smothered.
Jose Antonio Roldan Jr., 40, and Ladesha Ann Powe, 29, made a Zoom appearance in court on Wednesday for these charges. The couple reportedly confessed to consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana while looking after their daughter, Faith Hope Roldan, in December 2023.
Authorities arrived at the couple’s house in response to a call about a non-responsive baby. Roldan allegedly woke up and found his daughter wedged between the back cushion and the seat of the couch. The baby was unresponsive, leading Roldan to awaken Powe and dial 911. Despite swift transportation to the hospital, the baby was pronounced dead.
Roldan admitted to drinking approximately nine or ten 25-ounce cans of alcoholic beverages, while Powe admitted to consuming five, according to court documents. Both individuals also smoked marijuana. Home video footage showed the couple consuming alcohol in the living room the night prior to the incident.
The video captured Powe falling asleep, holding the baby, and the 6-month-old falling from her arms, getting wedged between the couch and her sleeping father. Powe reportedly confessed to being “far gone, wasted maybe, like very, very wasted” when she fell asleep with the baby in her arms. Faith Hope Roldan was seen kicking her feet and crying before ceasing movement as Roldan shifted in his sleep, smothering the infant. Powe woke up, searched for the baby, then went to the bedroom for the night.
The medical examiner determined mechanical asphyxia as the cause of the baby’s death, and the manner of death was stated as homicide. Both Roldan and Powe are being held on $100,000 bonds. It remains unclear whether they have entered pleas or have procured their legal representation.