Two charged in death of infant in Granite City

GRANITE CITY (First Alert 4) – Two people have been charged after a toddler died in Granite City.

The Madison County District Attorney's Office has charged Patrick Lee Godfrey and Sarrah M. Cheung with manslaughter and endangering the life or health of a child. The charges were filed Thursday following a death investigation.

Granite City Police officers rushed to Gateway Regional Medical Center on June 29 for a report of a young boy who was unconscious and not breathing. Police said the boy was taken to the hospital from a home in the 2100 block of Bryan Avenue.

Hospital staff declared the infant's death. The indictments against Godfrey and Cheung allege that they used meth near the infant, allowed him to be exposed to meth and cannabis, and then slept with him. The indictment states that Godfrey and Cheung “inadvertently killed a family or household member.”

The Madison County Coroner's Office, the Southern Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit assisted in the investigation.

Godfrey and Cheung were not in police custody as of Friday afternoon.

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