West Plains, MO. – An arrest has been made in the death of an infant on Wednesday night in West Plains.
Levi M. Coffel is charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, a Class A Felony, and is being held on a $100,000 bond. He was arrested by the West Plains Police Department on August 9, 2023.
At 6:02 p.m. a 9-1-1 call was made from the Burke Apartments for an infant not breathing. Emergency medical personnel responded but were unable to revive the infant.
According to law enforcement, Coffel had placed his six-month-old daughter into the bathtub with the water running. Police say he was distracted and left the infant alone in the tub for a few minutes and returned to the baby not breathing. Coffel then attempted CPR while calling 9-1-1.
Coffel will have his initial appearance before Judge Robert Ray on Friday, August 11, 2023.
A GoFundMe has been set up by the family to cover funeral expenses. The link can be found below: https://www.gofundme.com/f/aniah-jean-coffel
