Parents arrested in 1-month-old's death, police say

Boy died after being left alone for more than 6 hours

COCOA, Fla. – The parents of an infant who died two weeks ago have been arrested Thursday, according to Cocoa police.

Police have been investigating the 1-month-old boy's death since May 10, when he was found not breathing at a home on Flower Mound Lane in Oak Meadows Apartments.

Recommended Videos



Paramedics arrived at the home within minutes and found the infant unresponsive before pronouncing him dead, police reported.

The child's mother, Superiah Campbell, called 911 when she found that the newborn was "still," according to the arrest report.

Campbell said she had not checked on the baby for eight hours and the father, Cameron Dowden, said he had not checked on the baby for at least 6 hours, detectives said.

Detectives said they determined through electronic evidence and statements by the parents that the baby was left alone for more than six hours.

“By failing to check on the child for over six hours, the defendants consciously did an act or followed a course of conduct that they must have known, or reasonably should have known was likely to cause death or great bodily harm,” Detective Debra Titkanich wrote in the arrest report of the two parents. “Both parents showed a reckless disregard for human life.”

A man who said he was the baby's father told News 6 the boy accidentally turned over in his sleep.

The Brevard County Medical Examiner's Office told News 6  that an autopsy was completed, but those results were not released a day after the infant died.

Campbell and Dowden are charged with manslaughter of a child. Both parents appeared separately in front of a Brevard County Friday and were both ordered held on $100,000.

Campell and Dowden were ordered not to have contact with each other or with any children.

Check back for more on this developing story.