APPLETON (NBC 26) — Michael Donnelly, 35, has been arrested after being charged with 1st-degree reckless homicide in connection with his infant son's death that occurred 15 years ago in Appleton. A warrant for his arrest was issued yesterday, March 20.
According to Outagamie County Jail records, Donnelly was arrested shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday.
However, it still isn’t clear why charges were filed now, 15 years after the death.
On April 29, 2010, Appleton police responded to a home on North Richmond Street, where one-month-old Hunter Donnelly was found unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
When questioned by police in 2010, Donnelly, who was home at the time, initially said he had been awake all night caring for his son. But he later admitted he had fallen asleep while his son was on the couch.
Donnelly explained that he was extremely tired after a long day of working construction and enjoyed cuddling with his son.
Initially, Donnelly denied drinking that night but eventually admitted to having “five to six beers.”
An autopsy found no obvious cause of death, but noted signs consistent with a co-sleeping incident.
Attempts to reach out to the deceased child's mother and other family members were unsuccessful. The Appleton Police Department, Outagamie County officials, and the Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office also declined to comment on the case at this time.
This story is ongoing, and further details will be shared as the investigation continues.
**Below is a more detailed version of the story, since updated over-the-air.**
Michael Donnelly, 35, has been charged with 1st-degree reckless homicide in connection with an infant's death that occurred 15 years ago in Appleton.
According to court records, Donnelly was 20 years old when he was watching his 1-month-old son in an Appleton apartment in April of 2010.
Donnelly's father received a phone call from Michael, stating his son sounded "panicked" as the baby was not responding and not breathing, according to a criminal complaint. He asked his father for help, who immediately hung up the phone and called 911.
There were also 3 calls placed to the baby's mother, who was at work while Donnelly watched the infant. Michael begged the infant's mother to come home over the phone, without clearly telling her what was wrong.
Police responded to the home just before 2 a.m. to find the baby unresponsive. Officers attempted life-saving measures, but the baby was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
The infant's autopsy report showed there was no anatomic cause of death, but indicates there was "pulmonary edema in the lungs, petechiae hemorrhage to his forehead and linear red marks to his right forehead", with no other traumatic injuries to the body, consistent with a co-sleep death.
The complaint also stated that while searching the apartment, officers found 7 empty beer cans and 2 dirty diapers. Donnelly stated he did not have alcohol that night, and those cans were from the night before.
Donnelly denied falling asleep with the infant when first questioned by police on the night of the death, the complaint states.
When Donnelly was interviewed by authorities again in July of 2010, he was asked about how he had coped with the loss of his son. He told police that he has "(...) been really really nervous since this all happened."
Police once again questioned if Donnelly fell asleep with the baby that night: "Falling asleep with [the baby]. Were you on the couch or in your bed with him?" Michael's immediate response was, 'on the couch'."
He proceeded to explain to officers that he had a long day of working construction and fell asleep with the infant on the couch. Michael also admitted to having 5 to 6 beers throughout that evening, explaining to police that he first lied about drinking as he was not yet 21 at the time of the baby's passing.
Donnelly admitted to "probably" falling asleep with the baby on the couch after a feeding at around 11 p.m., but said he didn't believe he was asleep for very long, as he woke up quickly to realize he should not have been doing that.
Donnelly told officers the baby would have been between him and the back of the couch.
The mother of the infant shared with police that Michael had struggled with alcoholism since he was young and could drink a 30-pack in a day, according to the complaint. She also said she was hesitant to leave the baby with Michael because of his drinking.
The complaint does not clarify why the arrest was made yesterday.
Tune in to NBC 26 News at 5 & 6 tonight as we learn more details about this story.
