A 32-year-old Idaho man will spend years behind bars after admitting he concealed his newborn son’s death and tried to make it look like the infant had died of SIDS.
Brian Lemke was sentenced to 15 years in a state correctional facility after pleading guilty to failure to report a death and destruction or concealment of evidence, according to the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office. A district judge handed down the maximum sentence prosecutors requested — six years minimum, with the possibility of nine additional years, meaning Lemke could be eligible for parole after six years.
The case dates back to December 2025, when Lemke, his newborn son Benjamin, and the baby’s mother, Allyssen Armenta, were sleeping inside a travel trailer described by investigators as filled with trash, food, dirt and animal waste. According to the Canyon County Coroner’s Office, the infant died sometime overnight while co-sleeping with his parents.
Instead of immediately calling for help, authorities say Lemke carried his son’s body into a nearby house, wrapped him in a blanket, placed him in a bassinet, and only then dialed 911 — requesting a coroner rather than emergency medical responders. Prosecutors argued this choice showed Lemke was trying to hide how the baby actually died. Armenta reportedly stayed inside the trailer for roughly 90 minutes before officers located her.
Officials also revealed that child welfare workers had been searching for the couple and their newborn in the days before the death, but the family would not reveal their location.
Addressing the court before sentencing, Lemke apologized, saying he thinks daily about what he could have done differently. His attorney argued the death was accidental and asked for probation, but the judge rejected that request, stating the sentence was specifically for Lemke’s actions after the baby died — not for causing his death.
Armenta, who also pleaded guilty under a separate agreement, is expected to be sentenced later this week.