Officials: Baby Died in Prone Position in Unlicensed Foster Home

An autopsy determined that Lillianna Burt's cause of death was "asphyxia due to an unsafe sleeping environment and prone position"

Rhode Island health officials say a 6-month-old girl who died in an unlicensed foster home in Providence was asphyxiated in an unsafe sleeping environment.

The Providence Journal reports an autopsy determined that Lillianna Burt's cause of death was "asphyxia due to an unsafe sleeping environment and prone position."

Prone position is a sleeping position in which an infant is placed face down on his or her stomach.

Burt's foster parents found her unresponsive with a blanket covering her head the morning of Dec. 16 at their home. She was pronounced dead at Hasbro Children's Hospital.

The state Department of Children Youth and Families say Burt was placed in the home in September. The residence was still awaiting a license as a foster home.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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