A 31-year-old Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to neglect after her infant daughter suffocated while she slept beside the child on a couch, according to court records.
Quinzena Rancefer was formally charged in February with neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury. On Monday, she entered a guilty plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors, which led to the cancellation of her upcoming jury trial.
The incident occurred on March 25, 2024, when Rancefer reportedly dozed off on her couch while holding her two-month-old daughter. She later told investigators the infant usually slept in a bassinet nearby, but that night she had placed the baby between herself and the back of the couch, believing it would keep her from rolling off.
A family member who arrived at the apartment later found the infant unresponsive, positioned face-down and largely trapped beneath a couch cushion. According to authorities, the relative struggled to wake Rancefer and had to strike her multiple times before she regained consciousness. Once she realized what had happened, Rancefer reportedly became inconsolable.
The Fort Wayne Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a child in critical condition. Paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced the baby dead, with an autopsy attributing the cause of death to asphyxiation from overlay and wedging.
During the subsequent investigation, officers executed a search warrant at the residence and reportedly recovered drug paraphernalia, including a glass pipe with burnt residue, a torch lighter, suspected marijuana, and prescription medication. Rancefer allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine during a drug screening conducted at the time.
A case manager with the Indiana Department of Child Services later determined that the infant had tested positive for THC, indicating prenatal or postnatal drug exposure.
Rancefer is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18, according to court records.