Iowa Mother Charged After 5-Week-Old Dies During Co-Sleeping Incident in Knoxville

A 19-year-old Iowa mother faces child endangerment causing death after her infant was found unresponsive. Investigators recovered a blood-stained bra linked to the baby.

Iowa Mother Charged in Death of 5-Week-Old Son After Co-Sleeping Incident

A 19-year-old mother in Knoxville, Iowa, has been charged with child endangerment causing death after her 5-week-old son was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, Law & Crime reports.

Brigette Renard was booked into the Marion County Jail on Wednesday, according to jail records. The charge follows an incident on Nov. 21, 2025, when deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in Knoxville — a city roughly 35 miles southeast of Des Moines — after receiving a report that the infant had no pulse and was not breathing.

First responders attempted to stabilize the boy before transporting him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to court records reviewed by regional radio stations KNIA and KRLS.

During the investigation, Renard initially told authorities the child had been sleeping in a bassinet. She later changed her account, acknowledging that the infant had been in bed with her and her partner. Renard added that she had been breastfeeding the baby when she fell asleep, and woke to find him unresponsive beside her.

Investigators collected a bra belonging to Renard that contained blood spatter. DNA analysis reportedly indicated the blood originated from the child.

Authorities noted that Renard was previously aware of the risks associated with co-sleeping. According to investigators, she had co-slept with another child in the past, an incident that also resulted in that child's death.

Source: Law & Crime