Baby Survives Being Trapped Under Dead Father For 3 Days: Infant Betty Jean Fields Recovering In Hospital

An infant survived beneath her father’s decomposing body for as many as three days, the Associated Press reported. The 10-month-old girl is recovering at a Louisiana hospital.

The child, Betty Jean Fields, was dehydrated and suffering from blistering skin when authorities discovered her Friday night in a Pleasant Hill home, Sabine Parish Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers told The Shreveport Times. She also had a dark indentation on the right side of her forehead from being wedged against the headboard and under the body of her father.

"The baby was dehydrated," Rivers said, according to Reuters. "It was able to breath, expand its chest up and down ... We're very blessed that the baby didn't succumb."

The father, Jason Fields, 43, was found dead on his bed with the child underneath him.

Officers were called to the home after her 5-year-old brother alerted neighbors he thought his father was dead. Rivers said the house did not have an air conditioner and was more than 100 degrees when he entered.

The father reportedly had a heart condition and died of sudden cardiac arrest, the deputy coroner said. The mother was in jail on misdemeanor charges at the time of his death, but was released Saturday night by District Judge Stephen Beasley to take care of the baby girl, the Times said. Details about her crime and her name were not released.

Rivers did not interview the older child, so it is unknown how he fared while he was trapped in the home for days, the Times reported. He did not suffer any trauma. The baby’s current condition was not reported.

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