Mankato Man Charged for Death of His Infant Son

Mankato, MN (MinnesotaNow)- A Minnesota father has been charged in connection with the death of his infant son. 

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That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in Blue Earth County Court on Tuesday. 

The young boy, identified in an obituary as Remington Tristan Morningstar, died last Fall. He was 10 months old. 

Mankato Father Charged for Death on His Infant Son

26-year-old Omni Maxx Morningstar of Mankato is charged with second-degree manslaughter. 

The criminal complaint says the Mankato Department of Public Safety responded to the report of a one-year-old child not breathing on the afternoon of October 1. 

First responders administered life-saving aid and transported the infant to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

Morningstar was at the scene when officers arrived. He told police that he laid the child faced-down on the bed for a nap that morning after giving him a bottle, the charges say. 

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The complaint indicates Morningstar had placed a 20 pounds worth of blankets over the victim and did not return to his son’s room for several hours. 

He said the victim had a temperature of 104.7 when he checked on him moments before calling 911, the court document states.

Morningstar, who the complaint says told officers he is autistic, described his son as “colicky” and said his infant child had a history of fevers. 

Victim in Infant Death Case Had History of Fevers

Morningstar and the child’s mother told officers of one incident when their son was brought to an Emergency Room with a 104-degree temperature.

He had covered the child from head to toe with a blanket prior to the emergency room trip, the charges say. 

In that instance, Morningstar admitted to forgetting about the child because he was playing video games, according to the complaint. 

Warning from ER Ignored

Morningstar told police he had been cautioned by emergency room personnel about covering his infant son with a weighted blanket, which he said they had started using 4-5 months prior to his son’s death.

He also indicated there was another time in which his son became overheated, the complaint says.

The complaint also says the Morningstar told officers of two other occasions in which he would cover the victim’s head to muffle the child’s screaming and that he would wear headphones to muffle the sound of his son’s screams. 

Autopsy Identifies Probable Cause of 10-Month-Old's Death

An autopsy determined Remington’s death was caused by “probable asphyxia due to compression by weighted blanket,” the complaint says. 

Morningstar made his first court appearance Tuesday morning. Court records indicate he posted his $25,000 conditional bail. He is due back in court later this month.