COURT HOUSE – A woman who went to bed with her 6-month-old son after drinking 12 to 14 bottles of airplane-bottle-size vodka, leading to the infant’s suffocation death, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Michelle Stanton admitted that she consumed the vodka before lying down with her son, Christian Carty. Airplane-size bottles contain about 1.75 ounces of alcohol each.

Police were called to their home in the 200 block of East Wilde Avenue at around 3 a.m. on June 25, 2023, on a report of an unconscious and unresponsive infant. The child was found between his mother’s bed and the wall.

According to documents provided by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Stanton woke up in the early morning hours and could not find her baby. She called her father, who located the child.

An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be suffocation.

Stanton was not charged until May 9, 2024. She was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September before being sentenced this month.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.