Parker Morris. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Two Wisconsin mothers are using their heartbreak to fuel change and honoring the infant sons they lost by advocating for standard care and protocol for families dealing with the death of a child.
Kennedy Morris lives in Omro, while Nicole Culpepper is from Marshfield.
“I was actually at work when I got the call that Parker was unresponsive,” said Morris.
“All he could say to me was, ‘Percy’s not breathing. Hospital,'” added Culpepper.
These two women are in a club no mother ever wants to be part of. Both lost their infant sons unexpectedly. Parker Morris died March 23 when he was around three months old, and Percy Culpepper died a week before Christmas last year. He was 10 months old.
“Parker was the smiliest baby. He was the sweetest baby,” said Morris.
“He had the biggest blue eyes and the gummiest smile. Always smiling,” Culpepper said of Percy.
In both cases, the infants’ cause of death is undetermined and authorities don’t consider their parents suspects. However, Morris and Culpepper said they felt like they were treated like criminals after their sons died.
“When you’re talking little infants and the tendency for something like the unexplained deaths — children shouldn’t die,” said Rory Groessl, the Kewaunee County coroner.
That’s why, as with any death, there’s an investigation. But coroners and medical examiners in Wisconsin say the way unexplained infant death investigations are handled can vary by county, agency, personnel and even by case.
“There’s a fine balance, then, between protecting the integrity of the investigation and evidence, because in our world, like law enforcement, they have their scene, which would be typically, the physical place that the child was found. The body is then our scene. So, you know, just like law enforcement would protect their evidence, we’re going to do the same, in most cases. It is a case-by-case basis. Not every death is the same,” said Groessl.
Both mothers understand it’s unnatural for an otherwise healthy infant to die unexpectedly, and they appreciate the need for an investigation, but Morris and Culpepper have now teamed up to initiate change in hopes of creating a universal response to sudden infant deaths.
“With the Percy and Parker Act, we are fighting for statewide change right now in Wisconsin by advocating for clear compassion, a standardized protocol for families experiencing the unimaginable loss of a child. It’s devastating. I can’t even put into words how I feel now, how my husband feels or how Kennedy even feels. But what I do know is that we believe that investigations can be thorough and compassionate at the same time,” said Culpepper.
These two mothers are turning their grief into good in an effort to prevent other families from experiencing similar heartbreak on top of their unimaginable pain.
“There is no positive when your child dies. There’s nothing that can make it better. There’s nothing that makes it okay. But if something positive can come from that, then that’s what I would like,” said Morris.
Morris and Culpepper have had discussions with their local legislators, who they hope will work to enact change. The pair is also looking for other parents who might want to join their fight.
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