The parents of a newborn baby are facing child endangerment charges after Westlake police discovered the mother unconscious with the infant still attached by the umbilical cord.
The incident unfolded at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday when members of the Westlake Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the WestSpring Inn on Sperry Road.
A woman walking her dog in the hotel parking lot noticed another woman lying unconscious in the grass. Alarmingly, the unconscious woman had a newborn baby still attached to her via the umbilical cord, with the baby crying and lying face down in the grass.
The woman walking her dog, tried multiple times to wake the mother. Upon reviving the mother, she asked the hotel staff to call 911, then cut the umbilical cord and cared for the baby until Westlake EMS arrived.
As EMS provided care to the mother and baby, police began their investigation at the scene.
The mother, identified as 42-year-old Chanel Catherine Mueller from Cleveland, was staying at the hotel with 35-year-old John D. Bratsch from Westlake. Bratsch, found in the hotel room, initially identified himself as “Brian Johnson” and admitted to being a drug user. He explained that the baby was born unexpectedly in the hotel room and that he was cleaning up when the mother walked outside with the newborn.
Upon running Bratsch’s social security number, police discovered he had a felony parole violation warrant from the Ohio Parole Authority, along with previous warrants from the Westlake Police Department for drug possession and traffic charges. Bratsch was arrested and taken to the Westlake Jail, while Mueller and the baby were transported to a nearby hospital.
Westlake police are still investigating the reasons for Mueller’s unconsciousness, considering blood loss from childbirth, drug use, or a combination of both as possible causes. It remains unclear why Mueller left the room with her newborn still attached by the umbilical cord.
Both parents have been charged with child endangerment. Additionally, Cuyahoga County Child and Family Services were contacted and responded to the hospital to ensure the baby’s safety.
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