Baby Killed in Missouri Apartment Fire

[Ban Hammer 14,295]

KNOB NOSTER, Mo. -- A 1-month-old baby is dead after an apartment fire at 402 W. McPherson St.

The baby, Justin Bailey, is the son of Robin and Jacob Bailey.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire, which firefighters responded to at 8:38 a.m. Friday.

Police Chief Brian Kniskern said the infant had been left in a car seat carrier on top of the electric stove.

Kniskern said Robin told authorities she thought she had placed the baby on the kitchen counter to keep him away from his 19-month-old brother who was "running around in the house."

Robin told authorities she went upstairs, heard the smoke alarm and ran downstairs to find the baby on fire. She attempted to grab the carrier off the stove but could not due to the fire's intensity, Kniskern said. She sustained burns to both hands in the effort, he said.

Robin then grabbed the older child, placed him outside in the car, ran to neighboring apartments and started banging on doors to get help, Kniskern said.

An off-duty firefighter who lives in an apartment building to the east responded to Bailey's frantic knocks. He ran into the burning apartment but could not reach the baby. He and a police officer responding to 911 calls turned on a garden hose on the patio at the back of the apartment.

"(They) got the flames knocked down and got the baby out of the kitchen," Kniskern said.

But the child had died.

Firefighters arrived, extinguished the fire and vented the apartment.

Johnson County Coroner C.L. Holdren pronounced Justin dead at the scene and sent the body to the University of Kansas Medical Center for an autopsy.

The Johnson County EMS took Robin to the University of Kansas Burn Center for treatment.

Jacob, who had been at work at Tyson's, arrived the apartment and appeared distraught as he talked with authorities.

Kniskern said investigators sought to determine the cause and how long the fire burned before being reported.

The fire caused major kitchen damage mainly around the stove, he said, with smoke damage throughout the apartment. He said the child seat had melted.

Kniskern said he did not know who placed the initial 911 call. He said Robin had not used her cell phone, found on the kitchen floor, to report the fire.

Brenda Stowers said she answered Bailey's frantic knocking and, like other neighbors, reported the fire.

"That's how I was alerted," she said.

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[almaty 19]

that is terrible..knob noster ..usually has more intelligent folks there...terrible ..and sad

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

OMG that poor child

[HAL 9000 96]

May he rest in peace...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

What a tragedy

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

How horrible

[Nagishkaw 510]

Terrible!

[niniel71 0]

How do you not know your baby is on fire? Did she not hear it scream like mad? I'm guessing she probably wasnt even in the house at the time. I really hope they take the other child away from her, for its safety. This was no 'accident', it's purely poor mothering skills and child neglect. She better go to jail for it too.

[Gemmie 142]

Such awful things to hear, and makes you realise just how precious life is.

I just heard today that another of the girls from my high school has lost their baby. She was 35 weeks pregnant and has to give birth to her later today.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

She has to live with it. Surely punishment enough.

Easy to write someone off on the basis of a news article - I don't think anyone here is in a position to render judgement.

[The_Dude 1,142]

She has to live with it. Surely punishment enough.

Easy to write someone off on the basis of a news article - I don't think anyone here is in a position to render judgement.

If this child died as a result of her blatant negligence, then no, the memory of this is not punishment enough. But from this article, and another that I have read about this, there is not enough facts yet disclosed to condemn this woman. I really truly hope it was an accident. The thought of someone being that stupid, or that callous is disturbing.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

how, sad RIP

[Brit Abroad 166]

Is there any woman with a new baby and a toddler that doesn't rush around like a sleep-deprived headless chicken? I can understand the mistake in putting the baby on a stove, but surely he would've been screaming his little heart out long before the smoke detector went off. No mother can resist her infant's cry, there's something that doesn't ring true about her story.

We don't know if she had post-natal depression, if the toddler was upstairs and she had to run to get him and thought the baby was safe. Not enough information given and the scumbag press are always sensationalising any story where they can hang someone out to dry in public.

[Joseph & Ana 0]

Also, it could have been done on purpose in post depression type thing. Hope they find out what happened

[JVKn'CVO 11]

RIP

Saludos,

Caro