Butte police officers responding to a report of a woman sleeping in a vehicle Monday morning discovered a dead infant girl under the sleeping mother, along with another child in the vehicle.
At approximately 8:41 a.m., officers checked on the vehicle parked on Alaska Street, just north of Granite Street.
According to a press release, officers were unable to wake the woman and as they attempted to do so, they noticed that she appeared to be partially lying on an infant.
The officers broke out a window in the vehicle to gain entry and check on the pair. The officers then discovered that the infant girl was reportedly not breathing and had no pulse. It was also discovered that there was a second child in the vehicle.
CPR was initiated on the infant and A-1 Ambulance and Butte Fire Rescue were called to the scene. The infant was transported to St. James Healthcare. The infant, a 5-month-old girl, was pronounced dead at St. James Healthcare a short time later.
The 30-year-old woman, who was in the vehicle, is the mother of both children. The second child, a 2-3-year-old boy, is currently in the custody of the Department of Family Services. The woman and her children are Butte residents.
Butte police are continuing to investigate the incident. The infant will be transported to the Montana State Crime lab, where an autopsy will be conducted.
Sheriff Ed Lester said the investigation is in the very early stages and further information may become available as the investigation progresses. The names of the persons involved are not being released at this time.
