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6-month-old dies of bacterial meningitis at Big Lake home found to have black mold, police say

Home where newborn died from infection deemed “unlivable”
Home where newborn died from infection deemed “unlivable” 01:49

Deputies have described a Big Lake home where a 6-month-old child died earlier this month as extremely dirty, cluttered and unfit for living.

An autopsy has found that the infant boy's death was due to bacterial meningitis, and Sherburne County officials say they found black mold in numerous locations in the home.

The boy was one of nine children living at the home, the oldest of whom authorities said is about 12 years old.

Bacterial meningitis is less common than viral meningitis, and authorities say it can cause death within hours. It can be contracted through exposure to coughing and sneezing, or to contaminated food. Babies are exceptionally vulnerable to the condition.

Neighbor Blake Dalzell told WCCO that the family that lives at the home "seemed very normal." However, neighbors also said that they called child protection when one of the children almost fell into a neighbor's swimming pool.

The Big Lake Police Department confirmed that officers had been called for welfare checks at that home twice in the past year and a half, but officials would not elaborate on the nature of any calls to the home.

One neighbor, a nurse, told WCCO that they "did not see any big problem there. I felt like they were just a normal family."

The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office says the criminal investigation into the death is continuing.

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