A Peoria County coroner’s jury ruled the death of a 6-month-old to be undetermined in a case involving co-sleeping.
The jury took about 15 minutes on Dec. 3 to return its verdict after East Peoria police detective Kevin Beckman testified.
Peoria County coroner Johnna Ingersoll said that Andrew Hoover was born Dec. 10, 2008. He was pronounced dead a half hour after being brought to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center June 14.
The cause of death was given as asphyxia due to co-sleeping and entrapment in a couch at 155 Moschel St. in East Peoria.
Hoover’s mother, Erica, phoned 9-1-1.
Beckman said Erica laid Andrew on one end of the couch and she and her 2-year-old son Jacob slept at the other end of the couch. Beckman said Erica later changed her story and said she was not on the couch at all. Rather, she was playing with her 4-year-old son Anthony. Beckman testified that Erica said when she returned in about an hour to check on Andrew, she saw Jacob climbing down from the baby’s head area.
Beckman said he later interviewed Erica at the police department.
“I let Erica know there was no reason the child should be dead,” Beckman said.
When Beckman confronted Erica further, she told him she is on medication and sometimes loses track of time.
Beckman said Erica later reportedly told others that Andrew died of a heart condition. Beckman said there is no proof that Andrew had a heart condition.
Members of the jury asked if any other adults were present and if entanglement in the couch would have been a possibility as to the cause of death.
Beckman said no other adults were present in the home at the time, and in his opinion, entanglement in the couch was not a possibility.
“If he was going to fall down in a cushion, he would have been found in the same spot. He would not have worked his way back up,” Beckman said.
Erica attended the inquest with her father, Michael Hoover, and an attorney.
No one from the family provided any testimony at the inquest.
East Peoria police continue to investigate the death.
