Decatur woman admits guilt in death of 2-month-old son

BENTONVILLE — A Decatur woman has pleaded guilty to recklessly causing the death of her 2-month-old son.

Molly Sullivan, 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday.

She pleaded guilty to the court, so Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren will decide her punishment June

27.

Sullivan was arrested Oct

28. She is free on $3,500 bond. Benton County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Brandon Dill and Joe Adams investigated the death at 23632 Coon Hollow Road in Decatur, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Sullivan called 911 at 11:21 a.m. Oct. 28 to report her son wasn’t breathing, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan said in a written statement she woke at 8:30 a.m. and heard her son grunting. She made him a bottle and fed him, changed his diaper, rocked him back to sleep and placed him in his playpen, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan said she fell asleep on the couch, and after she woke she heard her other two children playing. Sullivan said she discovered her son, who was in a playpen, was blue and purple. She called 911 and did CPR after being directed by a dispatcher.

Benton County Coroner Daniel Oxford asked Sullivan to reconstruct how she found her son. Oxford gave her a doll to demonstrate how she placed her son in the playpen after she fed him.

Sullivan placed the doll on its back, according to court documents. Sullivan said her son was alive the last time she saw him, and he was on his back before she called 911, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan told detectives there was a couch pillow in the playpen when she found her son, but the pillow wasn’t on top of him. Sullivan said she threw couch pillows in the area near the playpen and may have accidentally thrown one into the playpen, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan