St. Cloud father charged with manslaughter in infant's death

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Cloud man faces a manslaughter charge after authorities say he unintentionally caused the death of his seven-month-old son in 2021.

Joshua Alan Cox, 36, has been charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter following the September 2021 incident, when he was responsible for watching the child.

On September 22, 2021, officers responded to a medical emergency at Cox's residence on Roosevelt Road after the infant was found unresponsive and cold to the touch by his mother, who had returned home from work.

Speaking with police, Cox admitted he had been drinking, taking three or four shots of Fireball whiskey throughout the evening. Later blood tests put his blood-alcohol level at .128. He also admitted that he has had previous problems with alcohol abuse.

While officers were at the home, they saw Cox attempt to hide an empty Fireball bottle, the charges state. Using a method called retrograde extrapolation, officers estimated that Cox was "significantly intoxicated" when he put the child to bed.

The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be positional asphyxia due to an unsafe sleeping environment – as a result of Cox sleeping in the same bed with the baby while being intoxicated.

Cox was charged via summons on Wednesday and is slated to appear in court next week.