COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 11 (UPI) -- A coroner in Ohio has appealed to parents to be careful after four infants died while sleeping with their parents in the same number of days.
Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis said four infants, ages 2 months and younger, died in a period of four days, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Wednesday.
Lewis said the deaths, which were unrelated and did not involve foul play, were still being investigated to determine whether the children were killed by parents rolling on top of them in their sleep or died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
He urged parents to use caution when determining where their children should sleep.
"It's always a tragedy when these things happen," Lewis said. "The common thread was the age and the circumstances -- sleeping with the parents. There's always the potential of smothering, and then the second issue is there is an increased risk of SIDS."
