Angel said her baby boy, Ashton, wasn't breathing.
According to court documents, "Ashton was hanging from his neck near the bottom corner of the crib with the rest of his body under the mattress near the floor."
The coroner ruled the death was accidental suffocation due to hanging.
“We do want to tell our side of the story, but not now,” said Allen Horton, the baby’s grandfather. “On the advice of our attorney we'd be glad to do this. Right now we're still grieving."
Police said the 9-month-old was sleeping in a crib that was missing a few pieces, specifically a piece that would keep a child from getting caught between the railing and the mattress, the way Ashton died.
The couple told police they knew the crib was broken and missing a few screws. That is why the prosecutor is charging the Hedtkes in Aston's death.
WSBT spoke with David outside his home. He said his family is having a difficult time dealing with their loss.
Neighbor Josh Ritz said he thought the Hedtke’s treated their children great. But court documents show otherwise:
Police said, “The residence was extremely unkempt with dirty clothes and dishes stacked and piled throughout the house. There appeared to be feces on top of the toilet seat in the bathroom area. The Hedtke residence was not fit for occupancy."
David Hedtke said in the court documents that he knew some screws did not fit correctly and he let his child sleep in the crib anyway.
Angel told police that when Ashton was born, he tested positive for cocaine and methadone.
At that time, Aston and the Hedtke's three other children were taken away by Child Protective Services.
CPS allowed the children to return home about 3 months later, but monthly visits were required.
WSBT was unable to reach CPS on Thursday.
