Two arrested in Bluffdale infant's death, the household's second in about two years

BLUFFDALE — Two people have been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of child abuse homicide in the death of a 3-month-old boy at a home in the city, and Bluffdale police say it is the second infant death in the household in about two years 12.

The Ledger is not naming the two people arrested, the infant, the address of the home or any other member of the household, under its standards on private individuals in crime coverage and on minors 123.

The Bluffdale Police Department released no details the day the infant died and said it would not, to protect the investigation 3. Sgt. Carl Hamer told reporters at the scene that officers responded with the Bluffdale Fire Department and that the infant was pronounced deceased there 3. "At this time, the Bluffdale Police Department sends our condolences out to the family and all of those affected by this incident today," Hamer said 3.

The two were booked the same day for investigation of child abuse homicide due to recklessness, a second-degree felony, and are being held without bail 126. KUTV reported that the arresting officer asked that both be held without bail or on high bail 4.

The accounts of the arrest describe booking affidavits filed by investigators 146. In them, both parents told investigators they had been drinking during the evening before they went to sleep on Oct. 6 with the infant in their adult bed rather than in a separate infant sleep space 14. The father said he prepared a bottle of formula shortly before midnight, swaddled the baby and placed him on a Boppy-type pillow between the two of them, with the bottle propped 14. The mother told police the baby began crying about 1:30 a.m., and that she removed him from the pillow, unwrapped the swaddle and held him on her chest, where both fell asleep 46. The father told investigators he woke about 5:15 a.m., found the baby pale and not breathing, began CPR and called 911 14.

Officers reported empty alcohol containers on or near the bedside table and items believed to be drug paraphernalia in the home, and reported pink fluid coming from the infant's nose and mouth during CPR 16. The mother said she had taken prescribed Adderall and buprenorphine that day, and a preliminary breath test about 12 hours after her last reported drink measured 0.011, KUTV reported; the father declined a preliminary breath test, and investigators obtained blood samples from both 4.

Detectives wrote that the death was the second infant death involving the two, and that a female infant died in October 2024 in a similar case 15. The affidavit says the earlier death is relevant to their knowledge and awareness of the risks of unsafe infant sleeping practices 15. KUTV described that case as a separate pending matter 4.

The documents the outlets described are arrest and booking records. None of the accounts reviewed by the Ledger reported that a charge has been filed in this week's death, and police have not released a cause of death 14. An autopsy was performed and results may not be available for a week or more 5. Police are seeking search warrants for phone records, child-welfare records and medical records for the baby 5.

A neighbor who spoke to KUTV described the father as "a great guy"; the Ledger is not naming the neighbor 5.

The Ledger reported on Oct. 8 that police were investigating the death and had released few details, at a point when no arrest had been reported 7.

Sources: 1 KSL.com, "Bluffdale couple recklessly caused infant's death, police say," Oct. 7, 2026 — https://www.ksl.com/article/51633674/bluffdale-police-investigating-infant-death 2 FOX 13 Utah, "Police investigating infant death in Bluffdale," Oct. 7, 2026 — https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/salt-lake-county/police-investigating-infant-death-in-bluffdale 3 Gephardt Daily, "Bluffdale PD investigating infant death," Oct. 7, 2026 — https://gephardtdaily.com/local/bluffdale-pd-investigating-infant-death/ 4 KUTV, "Bluffdale parents arrested on suspicion of child abuse homicide after second infant dies," Oct. 7, 2026 — https://kutv.com/news/local/bluffdale-parents-arrested-on-suspicion-of-child-abuse-homicide-after-second-infant-dies 5 KUTV, "Neighbor calls Bluffdale father arrested in infant son's death a 'great guy'," Oct. 8, 2026 — https://kutv.com/news/local/neighbor-calls-bluffdale-father-arrested-in-infant-sons-death-a-great-guy 6 Gephardt Daily, "Parents of deceased Bluffdale infant jailed for child abuse homicide," Oct. 7, 2026 — https://gephardtdaily.com/local-news/parents-of-deceased-bluffdale-infant-jailed-for-child-abuse-homicide/ 7 South Valley Ledger, "Bluffdale police investigate the death of an infant," Oct. 8, 2026 — https://southvalleyledger.com/articles/bluffdale-police-investigate-the-death-of-an-infant-81fcc2/