Seven-month-old infant dies while co-sleeping in parent's bed

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the co-sleeping death of an infant on Milwaukee's south side.

Officials say the seven-month-old boy named Josziah was co-sleeping with its parents in an adult bed in a home near 16th and Grant. The child was found unresponsive and pronounced death on Friday morning, November 30th.

FOX6 News spoke with the parents of the infant. They were too distraught to be on camera. But the father says he just woke up to Josziah not breathing. He says the boy didn't sleep with his parents all the time; this was an exception.

An autopsy on Josziah will be conducted on Saturday, December 1st.

Friday's co-sleeping death stirs up emotions for another mother, whose baby Kenneth died the night before Thanksgiving. The cause of death in that case is pending. But reports indicate the two were co-sleeping as well. 

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was disheartened by the recent deaths.

"It's a tragic reminder that we still have more work to do to deal with these completely preventable deaths," said Barrett on Friday.

He along with the health department heavily promote safe sleeping practices.

So far in 2012, there have been 15 deaths which may have involved unsafe sleep as a possible cause.

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