ELYRIA — An Elyria family whose child died in 2006 after he drowned in a neighbor’s pool lost another son after he fell between the couch and the couch cushion at his White Court home.
Police were called to the family’s home, in the 100 block of White Court, at 6:59 a.m. Oct. 11 after a report that a 5-week-old boy was not breathing. When rescue crews arrived, the boy, Ne’em Hasan, was dead, according to a police report.
Hasan’s mother, Randi Krause, 25, told police her 13-month-old daughter fell asleep with the child on the couch, and she found Ne’em not breathing. Ne’em was lying facedown between the couch cushion and the back of the couch, according to the report.
Listen to the 911 calls:
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“He’s smothered,” said Krause, crying in a 911 call. “There’s nothing you can do. He’s all blue and purple. … He’s already gone.”
Krause told officers she had worked all day Oct. 10 and was very tired due to being up all night with Ne’em and her daughter, who both had minor chest colds. Krause said she went upstairs to the bathroom at 4 a.m. Oct. 11 and lay in the bed upstairs when she fell asleep.
Krause was awakened by the father of the children, Jameel Hasan, who asked her where the children were, according to the report. Krause said she ran downstairs to find the children together, but Ne’em wasn’t breathing.
Krause said the last time she saw her daughter, she was sleeping in a separate chair, next to the couch. Police said the couch was older and the cushions were soft, making it easy for the 13-month-old to push the baby between the cushions.
Lorain County Coroner Stephen Evans said autopsy results of Ne’em are still pending, but he believes the initial cause of death is sudden infant death syndrome from an unsafe sleep position. Evans said the child likely suffocated on the couch.
Krause and Hasan lost another son in 2006 after he wandered over to the neighbor’s pool while Hasan was sleeping and drowned.
On Sept. 8, 2006, police were sent to the Vermilion home at 3201 Lorain Drive. Family members found 20-month-old Issiah Hasan floating facedown in the pool, and Jameel Hasan and a neighbor, Bennie Craft, attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful.
Issiah was pronounced dead at Mercy Regional Medical Center approximately 30 minutes later.
Jameel Hasan told emergency doctors he was watching the child while Krause ran errands and had fallen asleep for 15 or 20 minutes. The child reportedly crawled out an open window, walking 25 feet to the neighbor’s pool, and fell in.
Krause sued the neighbors, Barry and Phyllis Anderson, in 2008, accusing them of negligence for failing to fence in their pool, as was required by Vermilion law. The three reached a settlement, but the details of that settlement were not disclosed.
Krause could not be reached for comment Thursday.
A funeral service was held for Ne’em at Hempel Funeral Home in Amherst on Oct. 19.
Imam Paul Hasan of Interfaith Ministries and grandfather of the children said Ne’em’s death was a tragic accident.
“It’s a tremendous thing to lose a grandchild when it’s supposed to be you, but God chooses who he pleases,” he said. “We can’t look at death as a horrible thing, because before life, there was death.”
Hasan said it’s important for the community to continue to support the family, who is grieving.
“Be compassionate for them and not jump to conclusions. … If it wasn’t my grandchild, I would say we need to offer them prayers and support,” he said.
Evans said SIDS is all too common, with 1 percent of newborns dying from it. Evans said there have been three or four SIDS deaths in Lorain County this year, with some parents falling asleep and rolling over on their child.
“Unfortunately, it’s very common. … Part of the problem is that doctors used to recommend laying babies on their stomachs, but no, that’s wrong, they have a higher rate of SIDS that way,” he said.
Evans said professionals now recommend laying babies on their backs. He said “safe sleeping arrangements” are also important. As long as a baby is bundled up, pillows and blankets are not recommended.
“Truthfully, babies don’t need all that stuff — it’s just for the parents to look at,” he said. “Don’t put anything in the crib but the baby.”
Contact Chelsea Miller at 329-7123 or cmiller@chroniclet.com.
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