Three Infants Found Dead on Easter Sunday

By E.B. SOLOMONT, Staff Reporter of the Sun
March 24, 2008

Police are investigating three separate infant deaths, all reported yesterday, on Easter Sunday. In one incident, just after 9 a.m., police were called to a home on Oder Avenue in Staten Island after a man discovered his 7-week-old nephew unresponsive. The infant, identified as Matthew Mason, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9:40 a.m.

According to police, the baby had been sick. As of last night, the Administration for Children's Services had been notified about a 5-year-old child who also lived in the home. Police were interviewing the infant's parents, and it was not immediately clear where they were when the baby died, or if the death was suspicious.

In another incident, police in the East New York section of Brooklyn were called to a home on Montauk Avenue, where they found an unresponsive 4-month-old baby girl. The infant, identified as Summer Pinckney, was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead around 9:45 a.m. Police said there were no visible signs of bruising on the baby's body.

In a third incident, also in East New York, police were called to a home on Autumn Avenue around 1:30 p.m., where they found a 3-month-old girl who was not breathing. The baby, identified as Alyssa Sanford, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In all three cases, police said, the medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death.