A 29-year-old mother has received a four-year prison sentence for the death of her infant son last year.
In August, Michelle Stanton from the Villas area faced indictment on charges of second-degree manslaughter and endangering a child’s welfare.
In September, she admitted guilt to a second-degree manslaughter charge, with a sentence expected to be reduced, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland.
Stanton is required to complete 40 months of the sentence handed down on Tuesday before he can qualify for parole. On June 25, 2023, police in Lower Township answered an emergency call from a home on East Wilde Avenue.
Authorities discovered that Stanton consumed 12 to 14 small bottles of vodka, usually 50 ml each, before dozing off while holding her six-month-old son.
After some time, she awoke to discover the baby trapped between the mattress and the bedroom wall, unresponsive and unconscious.
An autopsy revealed that the baby died from suffocation caused by compression of the torso between the wall and mattress. A nearby hospital confirmed the baby’s death.
Shortly after the passing of her son, Stanton registered a blood alcohol content of .148, according to toxicology results. According to the report, authorities found 99 small bottles of flavored vodka in Stanton’s room.