Police investigating death of 5-month-old boy at northwest Lincoln hotel

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Police are investigating the death of a 5-month-old boy at a hotel in northwest Lincoln.

In an affidavit filed Thursday, Capt. Jake Dilsaver said officers were sent to the Sunset Inn & Suites on a report of an unresponsive child on May 30.

Dilsaver said the father and mother were sleeping in a bed with their three children.

Later, the mother was woken up by one of the kids, and she noticed the 5-month-old was not breathing.

Her and other guests at the hotel attempted to perform CPR on the boy until first responders arrived, but the boy was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Mahalya Camerer, a guest at the hotel, said she witnessed what happened and helped perform CPR.

“The mama, she come out screaming, she come out screaming saying, ‘Please help me,'” she said. “It has to be hard losing a baby. I’d be sad all the time to be honest with you. Like, I don’t think I’d ever get up.”

In the affidavit, Dilsaver said the hotel room was “incredibly cluttered” and one of the beds was “entirely uninhabitable.”

Rotten food and “various clutter” filled the room and made it “extraordinarily” difficult to walk around, according to Dilsaver.

A large knife was also found on the floor, the affidavit alleges.

Dilsaver said there have been prior reports of child abuse and neglect involving both parents.

Due to the “uninhabitable conditions,” the boy’s siblings were placed in temporary custody.

As of Monday, the parents have not been criminally charged.  A temporary custody hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Spokesman Jeff Powell said that the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is working closely with police as the investigation continues and that the other children involved are in a “safe setting.”

“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of children,” Powell said in a statement. “Caseworkers have extensive training and follow an exhaustive evidence-based process to find solutions that are in the best interests of the children involved.”

This is at least the third child death being investigated by Lincoln Police this year, the last being a 2-month-old who died in late March.

So far, no one in that case has been charged.

Another happened in early March, when police say a 22-month-old died of injuries consistent with abuse.

The mother and her boyfriend have been arrested and are accused of child abuse resulting in death.

In Nebraska, there are various resources available for anyone who finds themselves needing assistance, such as Community Action of Nebraska.

Executive Director Tina Rockenbach said when someone comes into Community Action, the agency will do what it calls wraparound assistance.

“We don’t just look at the problem that’s stressing them for that day,” she said. “We look at every possible place that we can help them, whether that is with mental health services and getting them connected with somebody, whether that’s increasing their ability to get nutritious food.”

Rockenbach said no matter the situation, you can always ask for help with caring for family.

“The help is there,” she said. “Don’t think it’s not for you. Pick up the phone, walk in a door, find somebody that can help you that you feel you can trust to point you in the right direction.”