NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Nashville mother has now been charged in the suffocation death of her seven-month-old son. The child’s father had already been arrested.
Officials with Metro Nashville Police said 23-year-old Jennifer Manuel was discharged from the psychological unit of a local hospital Thursday, where she was taken into custody.
She was held in lieu of $600,000 bond.
Warrants charging her with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse were issued after the infant died in May. She and her husband, 28-year-old Kenneth Laizure, have been accused of killing their son, Constantine, on May 19.
When authorities found the child, bruises and other injury marks were reportedly found on his body. At the time, he was in cardiac arrest.
According to investigators, a pillow and blanket were wedged between his face and the handle of a car seat while he was in a carrier inside the home. They said it was an effort to silence his crying.
He was believed to have been left there for one hour, at which point he was found unresponsive.
Constantine also reportedly had fractured ribs in various stages of healing. Police said both parents are believed to have taken part in various acts of abuse during his life.
The couple was also under investigation for allegedly abusing their three-year-old daughter. Authorities said she was severely malnourished and was placed in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
Kenneth Laizure was arrested on May 21 and remains jailed on a $750,000 bond.
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