Brooklyn infant stopped breathing and died shortly after his aunt gave him over-the-counter cough medicine, a police source said Friday morning.
The death of 4-month-old Daniel Richardson, believed to be an accident, left his aunt Patricia stunned.
"I was the one who gave the baby the medicine, and I'm the one being investigated," she said through tears. "I can't believe this happened. I didn't do anything wrong. "I don't know. I gave the baby medicine. I was baby-sitting. I don't know."
Police responded to the family's Greene Ave. home in Bushwick at about 6:45 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, Daniel was unconscious.
EMS workers rushed the infant to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said parents should not give over-the-counter cold medicine to children younger than 2 without first asking a doctor because such medicines can have adverse reactions.
The aunt said that other than a cough, Daniel did not have any medical issues. It was not immediately clear if Daniel's family had consulted a doctor about the medicine.
A home health aide who cares for a relative of Daniel's said that when she last saw him on Monday he "was happy and healthy."
"He was laughing and smiling," the aide said. "I don't know how this could have happened."
An autopsy will determine the cause of the baby's death. The aunt was interviewed as part of normal police procedures, but a source said the death appears to be an accident.
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