Whitley County Coroner J. Andrew Croley said the cause of death of a four-month-old Corbin child Thursday morning was Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy, formerly known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
“There is no foul play,” Croley said of the incident at a home on Eighth Street in Corbin.
SUDI as it is now known, defines the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained according to the American SIDS Institute.
Croley said the child was found unresponsive by the babysitter’s father about 10:40 a.m. Corbin firefighters and Whitley County EMS responded to the scene, working to revive the child.
Croley said the child had been moved from the adult bed where it had been placed on its back to sleep after eating about 7:30 a.m. as emergency personnel worked to revive it.
Because of that, Croley said he was unable to make a positive determination at the scene. Croley confirmed there was clothing on the bed and soft bedding, which may have been a contributing factor.
The child was sent to Frankfort for an autopsy, which was unable to make a positive determination.
“There is no way to determine for sure the difference between SUDI and suffocation,” Croley said.
Corbin Police also assisted at the scene.
