Wayne County prosecutors have charged a mother with involuntary manslaughter and first-degree child abuse in connection with the sleeping death of her 6-month-old son. 
 
 Leslie G. Neuman, 32, of Livonia, is accused of creating unsafe sleeping conditions by placing her infant son, Connor Kleemann, in her bed with her while they slept. 
 
 The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death an accidental asphyxiation caused by "bed sharing/overlay." 
 
 Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. 
 
 Neuman was being held on a $100,000, 10 percent cash or surety bond and is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. on Sept. 28 for a probable cause conference. 
 
 "There are babies in this county dying that should not be dying," Worthy said in a prepared statement following a similar child death in September. "Unsafe sleep practices can be just as fatal to a baby as a gun or knife." 
 
 A report investigating infant sleep-related deaths in Michigan, based on data collected between 2010 and 2015, found that in Wayne County, "suffocation is the most common cause of sleep-related death." 
 
 The report identified 3.1 deaths per 1,000 births caused by unsafe sleep conditions in Detroit. The average statewide was 1.3 deaths per 1,000, and Iosco County had the highest mortality rate, 4.4 per 1,000 births, in Michigan. 
 
 Other report findings related to the Wayne County data: 

 A Michigan mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after authorities say she drank alcohol one night in December and then slept in the same bed as her baby, who suffocated when he became “wedged” between the bed and the wall, PEOPLE confirms. 
 
 Leslie Neuman, 32, turned herself in to authorities on Monday in connection with the co-sleeping death of her 6-month-old son, Connor Kleemann, in December. She is charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse — charges that her attorney argues are too severe, despite the judge noting Neuman was previously warned not to sleep in the same bed as her child. 
 
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 “She’s been going through hell since this baby died,” Maggie Cotant says of Neuman. “It’s a tragic, horrible accident. It’s a punishment in and of itself that she has to live with forever. They made it sound like she did this horrible thing.” 
 
 In a statement, Wayne County, Michigan, Prosecutor Kym Worthy said, “It is alleged that Neuman placed the infant in the bed with her that created an unsafe sleep situation resulting the death of her child. The specific facts and evidence in the case will be placed on the record at the preliminary examination.” 
 
 Worthy has described cases like this as unnecessary deaths, according to MLive.com. 
 
 “There are babies in this county dying that should not be dying,” she previously said in a statement after a child died under similar circumstances. “Unsafe sleep practices can be just as fatal to a baby as a gun or knife.” 
 
 Cotant says Neuman and her sister were drinking at home while eating leftovers from Christmas dinner on Dec. 29. The pair each had about four beers and a shot of hard liquor between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., when they went to bed, Cotant says. 
 
 “[The drinking] occurred over this long period of time,” she says. “They make it sound like she was this alcoholic, drunk person who went to bed wasted with her baby. But in reality, they have no idea.” 
 
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 From left: Leslie Neuman and Connor Kleemann Courtesy Maggie Cotant 
 
 Neuman took her infant son to bed with her that night because he had a cold and she was afraid she wouldn’t hear his cries at night, Cotant says. 
 
 When Neuman woke up hours later, the boy was unresponsive. 
 
 “She saw his face turned toward the wall and the bed,” Cotant says. “She tried to revive him. She tried to give him mouth-to-mouth. When it wasn’t working, she started screaming and screaming.” 
 
 The family called 911 and officers arrived at about 6 a.m. on Dec. 30. Connor was taken to the hospital, where he died. 
 
 The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the child’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to “bedsharing.” The death was ruled an accident. 
 
 “We believe that the infant got wedged between the bed and the wall and suffocated,” says Livonia, Michigan, police Capt. Robert Nenciarini, who commands the department’s investigative division. 
 
 Neuman was released from custody after posting $100,000 bond and will appear in court again on Sept. 28. Cotant had unsuccessfully argued for her to be released without bail. 
 
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 Leslie Neuman 
 
 Shortly after Connor was born, an anonymous medical worker filed a complaint with Child Protective Services, saying it appeared as if Neuman was going through some sort of drug withdrawal, Cotant says. 
 
 Neuman was told at a CPS program for mothers not to sleep in the same bed with her child, along with other safety tips. 
 
 Cotant also says Neuman had sought help from a drug and alcohol treatment center when she was pregnant. 
 
 Neuman has two older children, who are 8 and 10 years old, according to Cotant. Both kids are now in their father’s custody. 
 
 Cotant — who will argue that Neuman is not guilty — says Neuman has already suffered after both losing her baby and custody of her other children over the accident. 
 
 “I’m supposed to stay objective and professional, and I do the best I can do at that, but it’s really hard in this case,” the attorney says. “This is a person who has been punished enough. She really, truly is a good mom.” 

 Leslie Gwen Neuman 
 
 A 33-year-old Livonia mother was arraigned Monday in connection with the December death of her infant son. 
 
 Leslie Gwen Neuman is charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse. 
 
 Livonia Police Capt. Robert Nenciarini said 6-month-old Connor Kleeman was found unresponsive in Neuman’s home on Iowa Street at 6 a.m. Dec. 29, 2016. Neuman had taken the child to bed with her and when she awoke realized the baby wasn’t breathing. 
 
 “She had consumed alcohol and woke up to find the child wedged between the bed and the wall,” Nenciarini said Monday. 
 
 After CPR efforts were unsuccessful, the child was taken to St. Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 
 
 The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office found the child’s death was accidental and resulted from pulmonary congestion and edema. 
 
 Police and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Neuman created an “unsafe” sleeping situation that resulted in the death of her infant son. 
 
 Neuman turned herself in for arraignment Monday and was given a $100,000, 10-percent cash surety bond. 
 
 Neuman was arraigned in 16th District Court in Livonia before Judge Kathleen McCann. Neuman’s probable cause conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 28 and her preliminary examination is expected to be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 5, both in 16th District Court. 
 
 In 2013, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced parents who placed their children in unsafe sleeping environments would face criminal charges. 
 
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– A Michigan mom is facing criminal charges after her infant son died after she took him to bed with her, People reports. Prosecutors say Leslie Neuman, 32, had been drinking alcohol before she tucked 6-month-old Connor Kleeman into her bed. He wasn't breathing when Neuman awoke early on Dec. 29, and paramedics were unable to revive him, the Detroit News reports. The Wayne County Medical Examiner ruled the baby had become "wedged" between the bed and the wall, and died of accidental asphyxiation as a result of "bed sharing." Neuman was arraigned on Monday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse. Last year, Neuman had been warned in a class for new mothers about the dangers of "co-sleeping," People reports. Neuman was enrolled in the class run by Child Protective Services after a tipster told authorities it looked like she was going through drug withdrawal. Neuman's lawyer, Maggie Cotant, acknowledges that her client sought help at a drug and alcohol treatment center while pregnant, but says it played no role in the death. She says Neuman put Connor in her bed because he had a cold and she feared not hearing him if he cried. "This is a person who has been punished enough," she says. A report found that suffocation was the most common cause of sleep-related deaths in Wayne County in recent years, per Michigan Live. In 2013, prosecutors warned that parents would face criminal charges if they place their children in "unsafe sleeping environments." (This happened twice to a woman in Florida.)