Woman arrested after wrapping 6-month-old son in blanket and leaving him unconscious

AICHI — Police in Miyoshi City, Aichi Prefecture, have arrested a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of attempting to kill her six-month-old son by wrapping him in a blanket and leaving him alone at their home.

Police said Mei Hirashima, whose occupation is unknown, wrapped the baby in a blanket and left him unattended at around 10:40 a.m. on Thursday, TBS reported.

In the afternoon, Harashima called 110 and said "My baby might be suffocating." The child was taken to hospital and remains in a critical condition, police said.

Police said Hirashima has partially denied the allegation and quoted her as saying, “I thought he might die if he remained covered in the blanket, but I didn't do it with the intent to kill him."

Police said Hirashima lives with her husband and two other people but no one noticed that the child was wrapped in a blanket.

© Japan Today