Television Host's Baby, Babysitter Die on Long Island

**fgg** · September 2nd, 2011, 07:09 PM

Television Host's Baby, Babysitter Die on Long Island

A one-month-old baby boy died after he was found unresponsive underneath the body of his unconscious babysitter at his Long Island home.

The baby is the child of Michael Baldwin II, a News 12 reporter and host of the program "Diverse Long Island."

Baldwin told NBC New York the babysitter, 39-year-old Teresa Coffey, was an acquaintance of his wife and had been asking for an opportunity to watch the infant. When Baldwin was called into work Thursday, he said he was in a bind and felt he had no other option but to ask Coffey to babysit.

At about 6 p.m., Coffey left a voicemail message for Baldwin while he was at work and said the baby was crying and fussy. When he attempted to call her back, she did not answer the phone.

Baldwin returned home to find Coffey motionless on the couch and assumed she was asleep, he said. He looked for his son in his crib and around the house but could not find him.

That's when he tried to shaking Coffey awake and found his baby underneath her.

Suffolk County Police responded to the scene and administered CPR on the baby. The boy was taken to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Coffey was also pronounced dead a short time later, police said.

The medical examiner is conducting autopsies and the investigation continues. Baldwin said he was not aware of a medical condition for Coffey, and would not speculate on a manner of death.

Baldwin said he and his wife had only recently returned home with the newborn; the baby spent weeks in the hospital for a medical condition.

On Aug. 18, Baldwin tweeted that his son was finally coming home after 17 days.

"Can't wait!" he wrote.

News 12 released a statement Friday, saying "Our thoughts and sympathies are with the Baldwin family during this difficult time."

Television Host's Baby, Babysitter Die | NBC New York

so sad!

**maryk** · September 2nd, 2011, 07:24 PM

How tragic, I hope thebparents don't blame themselves.

**FashionVictim** · September 2nd, 2011, 07:50 PM

The fuck?

**eboni** · September 2nd, 2011, 07:53 PM

Did I miss something? Where was his wife. Still in the hospital?

**MohandasKGanja** · September 2nd, 2011, 08:31 PM

A news report said the mom was "away", but they didn't explain further.

I was thinking carbon monoxide poisoning, but it looks like they've ruled that out already.

**Laurent** · September 2nd, 2011, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by fgg

Baldwin told NBC New York the babysitter, 39-year-old Teresa Coffey, was an acquaintance of his wife and had been asking for an opportunity to watch the infant. When Baldwin was called into work Thursday, he said he was in a bind and felt he had no other option but to ask Coffey to babysit.

Maybe it's just having the benefit of hindsight to guide the article, but this paragraph hints at something ominous. The woman was merely an acquaintance, but was asking to watch their infant, and then he only left the child when he "had no other option." Sounds a little hinky.

**sputnik** · September 2nd, 2011, 08:55 PM

^^^
that. or the chick had a heart attack or something and collapsed on top of the baby and suffocated him to death.

**McJag** · September 2nd, 2011, 08:56 PM

This is just heartbreaking.

**MontanaMama** · September 2nd, 2011, 10:16 PM

Very sad. Seems like they're trying to make something ominous out of a tragic incident.

**OrangeSlice** · September 2nd, 2011, 10:21 PM

^ I agree. How terribly sad. Why try to make it worse than it already is?

**KrisNine** · September 2nd, 2011, 11:57 PM

Oh lord, more reasons for me to never leave my spawn. This is so sad

I would just die.

**twitchy2.0** · September 4th, 2011, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by sputnik

^^^
that. or the chick had a heart attack or something and collapsed on top of the baby and suffocated him to death.

looks likely (apologies for the weird format here. GR is acting really weird for me right now) Sitter dies and lands on Long Island infant 1-month-old smothered in freak accident By KIERAN CROWLEY September 3, 2011 A morbidly obese Long Island baby sitter accidentally smothered to death a month-old infant when she collapsed and died on the couch where the child was lying, authorities said yesterday. Teresa Coffey, who was 5-foot-6 and over 200 pounds, was found on top of little Michael Baldwin III on Thursday at around 9:30 p.m. by the boy's horrified father, and both were pronounced dead at a hospital near the Greenlawn home. "The woman was described as extremely heavy," said Detective Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky. "She was extremely large-breasted . . . Because of the amount of flesh, it could have caused the baby to suffocate." The boy's dad, Michael Baldwin -- a local TV personality -- ditched a broadcast when he couldn't reach the sitter by phone and raced home. He found Coffey splayed out on the couch and looked all over for his son. "I searched every room," Baldwin tearfully recounted yesterday. "I was saying his name, 'Michael! Michael!' ' When his search failed, Baldwin said he returned to the living room, where Coffey, 39, was "slumped on the couch, face down, her knees on the floor . . . I just had this funny feeling she was on top of him." "I lifted her and he was underneath. He was lying on his back with his hands folded on his stomach. He was blue . . . I just grabbed him and called his name -- I knew he was dead." Both were pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital. Baldwin was taping his own show, Diverse Long Island, when the freakish events unfolded. Suffolk Police Detective Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky said investigators believe the deaths were a "tragic accident"-- but were conducting autopsies and toxicology tests. A bottle of prescription pills was found with Coffey, who was known to have health problems, Baldwin said. Baldwin said he'd gotten a message three hours earlier from Coffey telling him to call her. She never picked up his return calls, and Baldwin, an anchorman for News 12 on Long Island, finally raced home. "[Coffey] had been asking forever if she could watch my baby, because she couldn't have children," Baldwin said. "She wanted to have kids so bad. I know she had health issues, but I thought she was OK." Baldwin said his wife, Colby, is devastated by the death of their only child. Coffey, who lived in Port Jefferson Station, was also married. source: Obese baby sitter collapses and dies, suffocating baby - NYPOST.com

**Brookie** · September 4th, 2011, 10:13 AM

How horrific for the parents - and for the sitter's husband too. He has to live with the aftermath as well. Damn.

**Quazar** · September 4th, 2011, 10:31 AM

Sometimes tragic accidents happen and no one is at fault. How sad for everyone involved.

**Mercer** · September 4th, 2011, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by MohandasKGanja

A news report said the mom was "away", but they didn't explain further.

I was thinking carbon monoxide poisoning, but it looks like they've ruled that out already.

Baby 17 days in the NICU, just home, mom away, health-challanged sitter doesn't answer the phone for 3 hours. Sorry, my empathy is limited. If your babysitter doesn't pick up the phone for 3 fricking hours and there's no other line of communication ... call the SWAT team.