“It is my opinion that the cause of death of Rhydyn Rae Palomino is positional asphyxia,” the autopsy report said.
Rhydyn Palomino was found dead at the Executive Inn on West Columbia Street in Springfield when police arrived there around 11 a.m. April 21, according to a police report.
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Springfield police were dispatched to the motel on a call of an “infant not breathing,” according to the police report.
Positional asphyxia is a deadly condition that can occur when a person or child is being restrained and can not get enough oxygen, according to Crisis Prevention Institute’s website.
The noted evidence of Rhydyn’s positional asphyxia included, “a band-like compression mark across front of the neck,” and petechial hemorrhages spots over the neck and upper body, the autopsy said.
Petechiae spots are tiny, round, brown-purple spots that form due to bleeding under the skin, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.
The infant had petechiae spots on his neck and upper chest. He also suffered from pulmonary edema, or a condition in which fluid collects in numerous air sacs in the lungs, according to the autopsy.Aside from the positional asphyxia, the autopsy found no additional evidence of trauma to the child, the autopsy said.
Rhydyn’s mother, Bianca Palomino, 28, of Springfield, had not checked on the infant for six hours when she called the police to report he was not breathing, according to the police report.
“Palomino stated that she checked on her child again around 11 a.m. and realized that he was unresponsive and not breathing, Palomino then called the police,” the report said.
Palomino has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter. She was arrested June 13 and released June 25 from the Clark County Jail on $50,000 bond. Her next court date has not yet been scheduled.
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