4-month-old baby’s rotting body found in swing in US, parents held for murder

Medics found the baby dead in a swing, and a medical examiner found maggots in his clothing and skin.

Authorities have charged a couple in Iowa with murder following the death of their 4-month-old son, whose maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing in the family’s home.

Twenty-year-old Cheyanne Harris and 28-year-old Zachary Koehn were arrested on Wednesday on charges of child endangerment and first-degree murder in the death of their son, Sterling Koehn. Court records don’t list attorneys for either of them. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 2.

Authorities say in court records that deputies and medics called to the couple’s Alta Vista apartment on August 30 found Sterling dead in the swing.

Zachary Koehn who has been charged with murder of his four-month-old son. (AP)

A medical examiner found maggots in his clothing and skin that indicated he hadn’t had a diaper change, bath or been removed from the seat in over a week.

Alta Vista is about 200km northeast of Des Moines.