Parents held following death of 7-month-old child

Wednesday, July 1, 1998 | 11:37 a.m.

"At this point we only have sketchy information," a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said Tuesday. "We don't yet have a coroner's report or statements from the parent."

The infant died Sunday night after spending the day in the rear of an older model panel truck while the adults drove around town looking for recyclable material to sell, say investigators. Metro Police Lt. Tom Monahan said when the infant's mother and her boyfriend realized the baby was becoming ill they took it to a medical center and the center transported the baby to University Medical Center.

The couple was arrested on suspicion of felony child neglect and are being held in the Clark County Detention Center pending the outcome of the investigation. Monahan said he does not believe the couple intended to harm the child, but could have taken steps to avoid the tragedy.

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