Prosecutor Dwight Scroggins will not pursue charges in connection with the recent death of a St Joseph infant during a power outage. Scroggins says no crime was committed and the baby’s death was an accident.

In a news release, Scroggins said that when the power outage occurred, the additional blankets were used to keep heat in the portable playpen where the youth was sleeping. When the power was restored, so was the furnace.

A preliminary autopsy report determined the infant died of hyperthermia, an extremely elevated body temperature. The examination showed no indication of any direct physical trauma.

Based on review of all reports submitted, Scroggins said “no crime was determined to have been committed and the infant’s death was ruled accidental.

“The case is a tragic example of well-intended but unknowingly dangerous steps to protect the child being taken, which resulted in the unforeseeable accidental death of the infant,” Scroggins said.