NANTICOKE — Parents of an infant that unexpectedly died in Luzerne County were arraigned on criminal charges Friday.
Tracey Gonda and Corey Eckrote surrendered to authorities and were charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment at district court in Nanticoke.
Authorities said 2½-month-old Jaxon Eckrote died on Valentine’s Day from asphyxiation and compression injuries from a recliner chair.
Court documents said the infant was on Gonda’s shoulder when she fell asleep in a reclining chair.
According to detectives, Gonda eventually admitted that the child slid off of her shoulder and became wedged in the reclining chair, where it later died.
An attorney for Gonda’s ex-boyfriend said Corey Eckrote should not face the same serious charges, because he was asleep in another room when the baby died.
Gonda and Eckrote were released on bail after the charges were filed in Luzerne County.