Authorities are investigating the case of a 6-month-old baby who died while sleeping with his father early Monday.

Kenosha police Sgt. Hugh Rafferty said it appeared the boy’s 34-year-old father had fallen asleep in a bed with the child before waking up on top of him.

Officers were called to the family’s residence, in the 4600 block of Eighth Avenue, at 4:58 a.m. When police and rescue personnel arrived, Rafferty said the father was attempting to resuscitate the boy.

The boy was taken to Kenosha Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Rafferty said there were no reported signs of overt neglect or abuse to the child. He said the final cause of death was still to be determined, pending further toxicology and tissue examinations.

No arrests were made and charges against the father were not being recommended, Rafferty said. He said both of the boy’s parents have been cooperative throughout the investigation.

Police declined Monday to release the names of the boy and his father.

Earlier case on Jan. 15

The death was the second such case to occur in Kenosha County this month.

A 6-week-old boy, Colton Thomas Pollard, of Paddock Lake, died Jan. 15 while in bed with his parents, Scott and Cassondra Pollard, and a sibling.

Authorities last week said the situation suggested the death was an accident, but that an investigation was continuing. An initial investigation indicated the boy may have been smothered at some point during the night.

No charges were filed against the boy’s parents as of Monday, according to online court records.

Caution urged for parents

Dr. A. John Capelli, a Kenosha physician, advised parents to consider the potentially disastrous consequences of having a small child in bed with adults.

Capelli urged parents to place a baby on its back, in his or her own bed, to sleep.

He said it is also important to remove items that could cause a baby to choke or suffocate.